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'Crazy Rich Asians' has something to party about. Dazzles with $34 million 5-day opening Awkwafina as Goh Peik Lin and Constance Wu as Rachel Chu Warner Bros.' highly
anticipated romantic comedy launched above expectations with a five-day tally of $34 million when it opened in 3,384 locations. With a three-day weekend total of $25.3 million, _Crazy Rich
Asians_ swam by fellow Warner Bros. title _The Meg_, which earned $21.5 million in its sophomore frame. The shark thriller has amassed over $84 million in North America. Jon M. Chu's
acclaimed movie -- the first studio film in over 25 years since 1993's _Joy Luck Club_ to feature a nearly all Asian-American cast -- carries a modest $30 million budget. Enthusiasm has
been strong for _Crazy Rich Asians_, which arrives as Hollywood is being pressured to feature greater diversity on screen. It holds a strong 93% certified fresh rating on review aggregation
site Rotten Tomatoes, along with an A CinemaScore. "Word of mouth is everything," Jeff Goldstein, Warner Bros.' head of domestic distribution, said of the film's
better-than-expected launch. "This movie is so culturally significant and so unique in that there hasn't been a cast that's predominately Asian [in years]. This is one of
those few projects that a whole studio comes together with lots of passion." Based on Kevin Kwan's best-selling book, the movie follows Rachel Chu (Constance Wu), who accompanies
her boyfriend (Henry Golding) to his best friend's wedding in Singapore. Upon meeting his parents, she quickly finds out his family is one of the richest (and most judgmental!) in
Singapore. The cast also includes Gemma Chan, Awkwafina, Ken Jeong, and Michelle Yeoh. _Crazy Rich Asians_ is the first romantic comedy in almost three years (since Amy Schumer's
_Trainwreck_) to open with more than $20 million. In recent years, the genre has struggled at the box office. Recently, Anna Faris and Eugenio Derbez' remake of _Overboard_ debuted with
a modest $14 million. Prior to that, _I Feel Pretty_ -- with Amy Schumer, Michelle Williams, Emily Ratajkowski -- bowed with $16 million. Another new offering, Mark Wahlberg's _Mile
22_ opened below estimates, pulling in $13.6 million in 3,482 theaters. _Mile 22_ is the fourth collaboration between Wahlberg and director Peter Berg. The hope is that the action thriller
will spawn a franchise, but that remains to be seen given the film's estimated budget is between $30 million and $50 million. The final weekend opener, _Alpha_, debuted with $10.5
million in 2,719 locations. The film is backed by Studio 8 and distributed by Sony. Though it launched slightly above projections, it will still need to pick up steam during its theatrical
run to justify a $50 million production budget. Meanwhile, Tom Cruise's latest mission is still proving to be a profitable one. _Mission: Impossible - Fallout_ tied for fourth place
with _Alpha_, picking up $10.5 million in its fourth outing, bringing its domestic tally to $180 million. Overseas, it pocketed another $20.5 million for an international total of $320
million. At the specialty box office, _Juliet, Naked_ made $60,000 when it opened in four venues. Based on Nick Hornby's novel, the movie -- starring Rose Byrne, Ethan Hawke, and Chris
O'Dowd -- got rave reviews after it premiered at Sundance. _The Wife_, with Glenn Close, Jonathan Pryce, and Christian Slater, scored the top screen average of the weekend. It earned
$27,000 per location for a weekend total of $110,000. A strong opening for _Crazy Rich Asians_, along with solid holdover from _The Meg_ propelled popcorn season up 12.4%, according to
comScore. Meanwhile, the year-to-date box office is up 8.8%.