411 Box Office Report: Crazy Rich Asians Beats The Meg For Top Spot

Comedy ruled the box office this weekend, as Crazy Rich Asians topped expectations to claim the #1 spot. The Jon M. Chu-directed rom-com scored $25.2 million, besting industry predictions of $20 million, to reign at the top. The opening is the best for a comedy in 2018 (not including Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, which is more musical than comedy), and the best start for a romantic comedy since Trainwreck scored $30.1 million in July of 2015.

Crazy Rich Asians’ start is phenomenal for Warner Bros., for a variety of reasons. For starters, the three-day gross was softened slightly by the fact that it opened on Wednesday, meaning that it has a five-day total domestic gross of $34 million. It is also the first Hollywood studio-made mainstream film to feature a mostly Western Asian cast since The Joy Luck Club in 1993. That film, which never topped 600 theaters, grossed less during its entire run ($32.9 million) than what Crazy Rich Asians did in its first five days. It also represents a hit in a year that has been rough on comedies, with only one other film (Blockers) opening over $20 million so far.

The success of the ensemble film is due to a few factors, particularly the buzz it built over the last several weeks. Asians sports a stellar 92% average on Rotten Tomatoes, which the studio successfuly parlayed into box office receipts through its marketing. The large cast appealed to all ages thanks to a variety of stars. The cast includes veterans like Michelle Yeoh and Ken Jeong, plus newer stars like lead Constance Wu and Awkwafina — the latter of whom has her second hit of the summer after Ocean’s 8. But it wasn’t just about marketing. Word of mouth boosted this one too, with audiences giving it an A CinemaScore. That helped the film get a fantastic 42% bump from Friday to Saturday, which lifted estimates as the weekend progressed.

It’s a bit early to know for sure where the film will go from here. Rom-coms that open big tend to have shorter lifespans than moderate openers, but there also isn’t a ton of competition coming up for the film. Considering the positive buzz and the upcoming schedule, Crazy Rich Asians seems likely destined for at least $90 million domestically with more than than definitely possible. Overseas it has yet to open anywhere significant and has earned $730,000 in just six markets for a $34.7 million worldwide gross so far. On a $30 million budget, Warner Bros. has a big hit here.

While The Meg was knocked out of the top spot, it still performed admirably for a film that massively overperformed last weekend. The Jason Statham-starring shark film brought in $21.2 million in its second weekend. That’s off a very decent 53% from its opening weekend. The film is clearly resonating with audiences hungry for one last action franchise for the summer, and Warner Bros. is reaping the benefits. The action-thriller now has $83.8 million domestically and $314.2 million, and can now see a path to profit even on the prohibitive $130 million production budget. Right now it looks likely to finish off with around $120 million to $130 million, a very good number for a movie that had an uphill climb to making the studio money.

Mark Wahlberg’s Mile 22 opened with a clunk, garnering just $13.6 million in its first three days. That’s below the high teens that most expected the film to do, and represents the worst start for a Mark Wahlberg action film to date. Mile 22 was looking to potentially start a franchise, but that’s in doubt now to say the least.

Mile 22’s problems were three-fold. First off, it was up against the monster that was The Meg. Few expected that film to be in a position to top $20 million this weekend, making this weekend look like a safe bet. Obviously, that wasn’t the case. STX didn’t exactly set the world on fire with its marketing, either. The film’s trailers looked generic and didn’t do a great job of selling the story, instead relying on Wahlberg and his cast members in action situations. (The generic title didn’t help, either.) And finally, the reviews were abysmal. RT has the film averaged at just 20%. A film like Transformers can survive on that, as it’s critic-proof. Mile 22 was very much not, and audiences didn’t love it either with a B- CinemaScore.

On the plus side for STX, Mile 22 didn’t cost a ton. The production budget was $35 million, while marketing is believed to be around $30 million. Still, that means a likely $100 million point worldwide for a profit margin, and that is unlikely to say the least. Mile 22 will probably total around $30 million in the US and overseas prospects are uncertain — it tapped $538,000 in a few markets this weekend. Not one of Peter Berg and Wahlberg’s best moments together, to say the least.

Mission: Impossible – Fallout continued its strong run, down 46% in its fourth weekend with $10.5 million. The Tom Cruise-led film is now sitting at $180.8 million domestically and $501.4 million worldwide, meaning that it likely crossed into a profit margin this weekend. Fallout should close out domestically with around $210 range or so. The budget was $178 million.

Studio 8’s Alpha flopped with $10.5 million in its opening weekend. The prehistoric adventure drama was never expected to do well, and this number is right around the predictions for it. That’s small consolation for the studio, who invested $51 million into the budget but failed to market it effectively. The film scored good reviews (84% on RT) and audiences dug it (B+ CinemaScore), but there was never any real sense of momentum heading into the weekend. At this point, $25 million is the likely upward limit and it will loose money for its studio.

Christopher Robin held on nicely, down just 32% in its third weekend with $8.9 million. The Winnie the Pooh-branded movie finding its audience and now sits at $66.9 million domestically and $69.7 million worldwide. The $75 million production budget may be insurmountable, but Robin is going to make a go of it and going to end around $80 million or so.

Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman was down a very solid 36% in its second weekend, drawing in another $7 million. The true story-based drama now sits at $23 million domestically and $24.9 million worldwide, with momentum sustaining it thus far. The film looks to be able to top $45 million, and it can beat $50 million if Oscar buzz grows for it. That would make it Lee’s best film since Inside Job in 2006. The budget for BlacKkKlansman was $15 million.

Horror film Slender Man took a very horror-typical dive in its second weekend, falling 56% for a $5 million take. The PG-13 film is now at $20.7 million domestically and $21.2 million worldwide. It still seems likely for around $35 million or so, which may or many not be profitable on a $10 million budget.

Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation continues to show its legs. The animated comedy edged down just 30% in weekend number six with $3.7 million. The film has totaled $153.9 million domestically and $426 million worldwide, and should make it to $160 million or so in the US. The budget was $80 million.

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again closed out the top ten with $3.4 million, down 42% in its fifth weekend. The musical stands at $111.2 million domestically and $319 million worldwide and is a profit for its studio on a $75 million budget.

Crazy Rich Asians could conceivably spend a second weekend at #1, particularly it The Happytime Murders underperforms. The R-rated Melissa McCarthy comedy is aiming for a mid-teens start. Family adventure film A.X.L. is unlikely to make it to even $5 million for the weekend.

BOX OFFICE TOP TEN (Three-Day Domestic Numbers)
1. Crazy Rich Asians – $25.2 million ($34 million total)
2. The Meg – $21.2 million ($83.8 million total)
3. Mile 22 – $13.6 million ($13.6 million total)
4. Mission: Impossible – Fallout – $10.5 million ($180.7 million total)
5. Alpha – $10.5 million ($10.5 million total)
6. Christopher Robin – $8.9 million ($66.9 million total)
7. BlacKkKlansman – $7 million ($23 million total)
4. Slender Man – $5 million ($20.7 million total)
9. Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation – $3.7 million ($153.9 million total)
7. Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! – $3.4 million ($111.2 million total)