Rom-com Crazy Rich Asians proved its staying power in North America, topping the box office for the second weekend running, according to industry data released on Monday.
The Warner Brothers adaptation of Kevin Kwan’s best-selling novel of the same name took $24.8 million, a tiny, almost unheard-of, six percent drop on its $26.5 million debut, box office tracker Exhibitor Relations said.
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.
It is the first major studio release with a mostly Asian cast since The Joy Luck Club in 1993.
Shark attack thriller The Meg clung on to the runner-up spot for another week, taking $12.8 million — a significant tumble from last week’s earnings of $21.2 million.
It stars action movie regular Jason Statham as a rescue diver who tries to save scientists trapped in a submarine from a huge, prehistoric shark.
In at third was newly-released mystery The Happytime Murders, which took $9.5 million.
Based in a world where humans and puppets co-exist, the film follows a joint police force as they probe a recent murder spree targeting puppet TV stars.
On its heels with takings of $8.1 million was Tom Cruise’s action blockbuster Mission: Impossible – Fallout, which took fourth place in its fifth weekend in theaters.
Fifth went to STX’s Mile 22, which came in at came at $6.4 million after delivering a lackluster $13.7 million in its debut weekend.
The $50 million Mark Wahlberg feature, developed as the potential first film in a franchise is expected to have its largest impact in Asia and Latin America.
Rounding out this weekend’s top 10 were:
Christopher Robin ($6.3 million)
Alpha ($6 million)
BlackKklansman ($5.1 million)
Slender Man ($2.79 million)
A.X.L ($2.78 million)