The Warner Brothers adaptation of Kevin Kwan’s best-selling novel of the same name took US$24.8 million, a tiny, almost unheard-of, 6% drop on its US$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 US$12.8 million — a significant tumble from last week’s earnings of US$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 US$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 US$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 US$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” (US$6.3 million)
“Alpha” (US$6 million)
“BlackKklansman” (US$5.1 million)
“Slender Man” (US$2.79 million)
“A.X.L” (US$2.78 million)
