Highly anticipated rom-com Crazy Rich Asians -- the first Hollywood film with an mainly Asian cast in a generation -- dazzled the North American box office in its debut weekend, claiming the top spot, industry estimates showed Sunday.
The Warner Bros adaptation of Kevin Kwan's best-selling novel of the same name raked in $34mn since hitting theatres on Wednesday, box office tracker Exhibitor Relations said. Of the total, the film took in $25.2mn at the weekend.Starring veteran actress Michelle Yeoh, British-Malaysian former BBC host Henry Golding and American sitcom star Constance Wu, the film tells the story of a American economics professor who meets her super-wealthy boyfriend's family in Singapore -- and all the drama that ensues.
It is the first Tinseltown film with a predominantly Asian cast since The Joy Luck Club in 1993.
Shark thriller The Meg tumbled to second place in its second week, taking in $21.2mn. It stars action movie regular Jason Statham as a rescue diver who tries to save scientists in a submarine from an attack by a huge, prehistoric shark.
Mile 22 -- a new spy thriller-action flick starring Mark Wahlberg -- opened in third place at $13.6mn.
Another debut film, prehistoric adventure tale Alpha, shared fourth place at $10.5mn with summer blockbuster Mission: Impossible - Fallout.
The latest instalment in the M:I franchise has now taken in $180.7mn overall.
Rounding out the weekend's top 10 were:
Christopher Robin ($8.9mn)
BlacKkKlansman ($7mn)
Slender Man ($5mn)
Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation ($3.7mn)
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again ($3.4mn)
