$239 Million Rom-Com Hit Lands On Netflix's Top 10 Chart In The U.S.

Crazy Rich Asians has become a Top 10 hit on Netflix in the United States. The 2018 movie is adapted from the novel of the same name by Kevin Kwan and follows Chinese-American professor Rachel Chu (Constance Wu), who attends a wedding in Singapore with her boyfriend Nick Young (Henry Golding), at which point she learns that his family is fabulously wealthy and that she must earn the respect of his stony mother Eleanor (Michelle Yeoh). The Crazy Rich Asians movie was a smash hit, earning $239 million against its $30 million budget.

Netflix has now calculated their Top 10 most-watched movies in the United States for the week of June 10 through June 16. Crazy Rich Asians landed at No. 7 on the chart, ahead of the animated titles Shrek and The Lego Movie as well as the new documentary Mysteries of the Terracotta Warriors. The movie has charted alongside major Netflix original hits including Hit Man, Under Paris, and How to Rob a Bank.

Can Netflix Success Help Make Crazy Rich Asians 2 Happen?

The China Rich Girlfriend Movie Has Been Delayed For Years

Although the Crazy Rich Asians ending offers something like closure for the growing relationship between Nick and Rachel, as well as that between Rachel and Eleanor, it is just the beginning of the story, as there are two more books left to adapt in the original Kevin Kwan trilogy. A sequel based on the second book, China Rich Girlfriend, was confirmed to be in development as of 2018, but has so far not come to fruition.

The delays in getting the sequel off the ground have not come from the reception of Crazy Rich Asians, which was the fourth highest-grossing romance movie of 2018 and currently holds a Certified Fresh 91% score on Rotten Tomatoes. External factors have largely been the cause of the delay, particularly a controversy that arose when it was revealed that returning screenwriter Adele Lim was being paid considerably less than her co-writer Peter Chiarelli. The global shutdowns due to the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 likely also contributed to this delay of more than half a decade.

It was recently announced that a Crazy Rich Asians TV show spinoff was in development, which may also have become a priority for producers over China Rich Girlfriend. However, it remains to be seen if the original movie’s success on Netflix helps spur the production of the sequel in any way. If the movie continues to rise up the chart and spends several consecutive weeks in the Top 10, this could help prove that audiences are still engaged with the property.

Source: Netflix

Crazy Rich Asians

Based on the global best-selling series Crazy Rich Asians is a  romantic comedy that follows New York Rachel Chu to Singapore to meet her boyfriend’s family. However, she soon discovers her significant other is hiding a secret – his family is one of the wealthiest families in Singapore – and her mother already disapproves of her and her origins. Rachel will attempt to find her place in the madness and prove her own worth to a family of unflinching prejudice.  

Director

Jon M. Chu

Release Date

August 15, 2018

Studio(s)

Warner Bros. Pictures

Distributor(s)

Warner Bros. Pictures

Writers

Pete Chiarelli , Adele Lim

Runtime

121 Minutes

Budget

$30 million

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