Weekend Box Office: Crazy Rich Asians Tops The Meg, Mile 22, Alpha Lag Behind

By Chris Kavan - 08/19/18 at 08:22 PM CT

It was a good weekend to be crazy and also rich and also Asian. Yes, Jon M. Chu's film, the first one to feature an all-Asian leading cast since The Joy Luck Club, lit up the box office in a big way. Meanwhile, The Meg kept making waves after it's big opening weekend while Mile 22 and Alpha had a bit more of a struggle to find an audience. Even so, this August continues to look good as the weekend was up 41% over last year and the month is running 24% ahead of 2017 (not exactly as challenge as last year's August was the slowest in 20 years). As the month winds down and school starts up for many, we'll see if Hollywood can keep the good times rolling.

1) CRAZY RICH ASIANS

It was a good week for people who like diversity in Hollywood. Crazy Rich Asians, based on the best-selling novel from Kevin Kwan, had a knockout debut with $25.23 million over the weekend and over $34 million since its Wednesday debut. Considering the budget was a mere $30 million (excluding marketing), that is an excellent start for the romantic comedy. It also had a superb 6.8x weekend multiplier - just over the 6.5x multiplier that The Help had - a film that wound up with $169.7 million and a boatload of Oscar nominations. That the longevity of Crazy Rich Asians might not match that film isn't the point - the Asian cast, featuring the likes of Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeoh, Gemma Chan, Lisa Lu, Awkwafina, Jimmy O. Yang, Ken Jeong, Harry Shum Jr. and Sonoya Mizuno, and the success of Crazy Rich Asians, is a big step in providing non-white content. And the fact it only took 25 years to get here? Don't know if that's really progress, but hopefully if won't take another 25 years to celebrate. The film was hit with critics and audiences, who awarded it an "A" Cinemascore. With good word-of-mouth flowing, $100 million is pretty much in the bag, with $125 million a distinct possibility, and if adults give it legs even $140 isn't out of the question (though that's best-case scenario there). Even if it falls off quickly, it's a win for the studio, the people involved and diversity as a whole. It's slowly rolling out international, with $730,000 from just six markets, with expansion on the way.

2) THE MEG

Speaking of the studio behind Crazy Rich Asians, it looks like Warner Bros. can really celebrate as they also have the number two film in theaters, the shark attack film The Meg. With a 53.4% dip, The Meg added another $21.15 million to its total, which now stands at $83.7 million. It had little trouble passing the $75 million mark and should have little issue with $100 million, either. That is a better second-week hold than Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles back in 2014, and that film went on to hit $133 million, which seems like a good spot to aim for (if not a bit higher). In a showdown of action icons, it looks like Jason Statham has topped Dwayne Johnson - as The Meg's $230.4 million international total, and $315 million worldwide gross, has passed Skycraper on all fronts. In fact, $500 million worldwide seems likely for The Meg - considering author Steve Alten has five more books (with a sixth possibly on the way), Warner Bros. may be looking a lucrative series. It may not match The Fast and the Furious but with a fraction of the budget and such a response, why wouldn't they make more?

3) MILE 22

Action has been kind to a lot films this late summer season, but there is only so much love that can go around. The Meg seems to have a nice lock, so Mark Wahlberg had to struggle to a $13.62 million opening. The modest $30 million budget helps, but director Peter Berg, who was hoping for a franchise-starter, will probably have to put any grand plans on hold. The film scored a bit low from critics (40% on Rotten Tomatoes) and audience delivered a collective "meh" with a "B-" Cinemascore. That audience was 60% male with 73% coming in 25 or older. It's not to knock Wahlberg, who still has enough power to drive a film, but more likely due to the highly-competitive box office along with the growing power of streaming services. There is just too much choice to settle for a solid if unremarkable action film these days. Like Crazy Rich Asians, Mile 22 is rolling out slowly on the international front, opening in just six territories itself to the tune of $538,000. This one is going to need some overseas help if it wants to succeed.

4) ALPHA

Two films are essentially tied for 4th/5th place, so I'll be the gentleman and go with the new film first. Alpha, the Ice Age survival adventure/drama starring Kodi Smit-McPhee opened with $10.5 million. That was right in line with studio expectations, which is a bit disheartening when you consider the production cost on this was in the $50-$60 million range. It's a tough sell when you're trying to launch a film without a major star (not to mean to Smit-McPhee - but he's no Tom Cruise). This one is definitely going to have to rely on overseas grosses to bail it out - while a "B+" Cinemascore isn't the worst, it doesn't look to have longevity on its side here. This one is going to play out far from home, so it's just going to be a matter of how the international side of things stack up because stateside I'm thinking $25 million is about all we're going to get.

5) MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - FALLOUT

With another $10.5 million (tied for now), Mission:Impossible - Fallout reached $180.73 million, cruising past that $175 million mark. It also blasted across the $500 million mark worldwide with a $20.5 international showing and it is still tracking a nice 17% ahead of Rogue Nation in those same markets. That makes it the 5th-best total for lead actor Tom Cruise, even if the domestic total (likely around the $200-$220 million mark) may struggle to hit his top 10. Even so, it proves that Mission:Impossible is a viable franchise for years to come - as long as Cruise (and hopefully a lot of his co-stars) are willing to play the part. And I have a sneaking suspicion that all involved will be more than happy to keep this rolling.

Outside the top five: As has been widely reported if you pay attention to any movie news, Billionaire Boys Club (which has been available on VOD for over a month now), starring the disgraced Kevin Spacey, opened in 10 theaters as essentially a courtesy where it made less than $126 on Friday with a weekend under $1000. That's about as bad as it sounds and I'm guessing Spacey (and everyone else involved) would have been a lot happier if the film remained VOD only.

In milestone news, Hotel Translyvania 3 topped $150 million with a $3.675 million weekend and new $153.8 million total.

Next week brings us the gritty, violent, very adult puppet movie The Happytime Murders. We will also be getting a sci-fi action film in A.X.L.

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