<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5b6b1f8380eb351c008b4e15-1500/crazy rich asians movie 2.jpg" border="0" alt="Crazy Rich Asians Movie 2" data-mce-source="Color Force/IMDB" data-mce-caption="Constance Wu in this summer's &amp;quotCrazy Rich Asians&quot;" /><p class="source"><span>Color Force/IMDB</span></p><p class="caption">Constance Wu in box office hit  "Crazy Rich Asians."</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>"Crazy Rich Asians" wins the domestic box office for a third-straight weekend, earning around $30 million by Labor Day, once again outperforming industry projections. </strong></li><li><strong>It's the best Labor Day weekend performance in 11 years. </strong></li><li><strong>It also marks the fourth straight weekend Warner Bros. has topped the domestic box office, going back to when it won the weekend in early August with "The Meg."</strong></li></ul><hr /><p>The Labor Day holiday weekend has traditionally been slow at the multiplex, as all the big summer hits have come and gone and none of the fall award season titles have come out yet.</p><p>But like <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-the-box-office-has-rebounded-in-2018-2018-8">everything that's happened in theaters this year</a>, even Labor Day is performing above expectations.</p><p>Warner Bros.' hit "Crazy Rich Asians" won the domestic weekend box office for a third-straight weekend, with <a href="https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=weekend&amp;id=crazyrichasians.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$22.2 million</a> earned over the weekend (just a minuscule 10% drop compared to last weekend) and around $30 million by Labor Day.</p><p>That's the best Labor Day weekend performance in 11 years. The only other movie to hit $30 million over the four-day Labor Day holiday weekend was <a href="https://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/weekends/laborday.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2007's "Halloween."</a></p><p>"Crazy Rich Asians" now has a domestic total of $111 million, exceeding the expectations of Warner Bros., which has already greenlit a sequel from the Kevin Kwan series of books.</p><p>The end of the summer has been great for Warner Bros. This marks the fourth-straight weekend the studio has won the domestic box office, going back to early August when its Jason Statham shark movie, "The Meg," won the weekend.</p><p>That title has also kept a nice pace domestically, coming in second place this weekend with $10.5 million and now totaling $112 million domestically (<a href="https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=wbeventfilm2018.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">over $450 million</a> worldwide).</p><p>This performance by Warner Bros. titles to close the summer proved that sequels weren't the only thing that fueled the season, which had a <a href="https://deadline.com/2018/09/avengers-infinity-war-star-wars-marvel-summer-box-office-2018-lessons-learned-1202454990/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$4.8 billion total</a> in 2018 - a far cry from last summer's awful 11-year low 3.86 billion.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kaman-kmax-helicopter-intermeshing-dual-crossing-rotors-2018-8">An aerospace company reintroduced its precision helicopter with two crossing motors</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/9H9Han1r-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

'Crazy Rich Asians' earns the biggest Labor Day weekend box office in over a decade

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5b732778dcee3033008b53b6-1000/crazy-rich-asians.png" border="0" alt="crazy rich asians" data-mce-source="Warner Bros." /><p class="source"><span>Warner Bros.</span></p><p class="caption">"Crazy Rich Asians."</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>"Crazy Rich Asians" won the weekend box office with an estimated $25.2 million, and has taken in $34 million since it opened on Wednesday.</strong></li><li><strong>It's the latest movie this year to prove that if Hollywood offers movies with authentically diverse voices, audiences will come.</strong></li></ul><hr /><p>For the second-straight weekend, a Warner Bros. movie is atop the domestic box office mountain.</p><p>"Crazy Rich Asians" won the weekend box office with an estimated $25.2 million, and has earned <a href="https://variety.com/2018/film/box-office/crazy-rich-asians-box-office-opening-weekend-constance-wu-1202909669/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$34 million</a> since it opened on Wednesday.</p><p>The studio can point to two very different titles for its late summer surge. This weekend, "Rich Asians" proved there's a market for a movie with an all-Asian cast (and a romantic comedy), while <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/the-meg-wins-weekend-box-office-44-million-2018-8">last weekend's "The Meg"</a> showed audiences will go see a giant shark chase Jason Statham.</p><p>Though the performance by "The Meg" was a surprise by most in the industry, that's not the case with "Crazy Rich Asians."</p><p>Based on the popular book series by author Kevin Kwan and starring some of the most popular Asians actors working today (Constance Wu, Awkwafina, Ken Jeong, Michelle Yeoh), along with an unknown on his way to stardom (Henry Golding), the movie was headed for some major coin.</p><p>And the movie earning a <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/crazy_rich_asians" target="_blank" rel="noopener">92% Rotten Tomatoes</a> score (a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/director-of-crazy-rich-asians-had-to-ignore-his-past-failure-to-make-a-career-defining-movie-2018-8">career best for its director Jon M. Chu</a>) leading up to its opening all but confirmed it.</p><p>Like "Black Panther" earlier this year - which proved the hunger to see a superhero movie that showcased an authentic diverse voice was overwhelming (even though Disney opened the movie in the traditionally dead movie season of February) as it went on to break box office records and earn over $1.3 billion worldwide - "Crazy Rich Asians" continued that trend.</p><p>Marking the first time a major studio has released a movie with an all-Asian cast in 25 years, Chu's movie was the perfect release in a time when inclusion in Hollywood is a cry that's never been louder. And the fact that it was in the structure of a romantic comedy, a genre that studios have ran from for a decade, makes it even sweeter.</p><p>With the summer movie season wrapping up, "Crazy Rich Asians" is a strong end note. And with the season box office up over 11% from last year's historically awful summer offering, this year proves that the summer movie season is still a cash cow - if the movies are worth seeing for <em>all</em> audiences.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-happens-to-old-broadway-costumes-tdf-collection-rentals-musicals-plays-stage-2018-8">What happens to old Broadway costumes</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/LFO5f8k3-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

'Crazy Rich Asians' dominates the box office with a $25.2 million weekend take, $34 million 5-day opening

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5b46cbd354400f50018b479d-1000/crazy-rich-asians.png" border="0" alt="movie crazy rich asians" data-mce-source="Warner Bros." /><p class="source"><span>Warner Bros.</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>The director of "Crazy Rich Asians" is in talks to make a movie about the rescue of 12 boys and their coach who were rescued from a Thai cave.</strong></li><li><strong>Jon M. Chu has pledged to make a film that won't be a "white wash," indicating Asian actors would be front and center of his film.</strong></li><li><strong>Chu said it is important this story is told "correctly and respectfully" and so that "history doesn't get it wrong."</strong></li></ul><hr /><p>There is a second film about the Thailand cave rescue in the works, this time from the director of "Crazy Rich Asians" who has pledged to not "white wash" the cast.</p><p>Earlier this week, Christian film studio Pure Flix announced it was on the ground in Thailand and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/film-producers-starting-thai-cave-rescue-film-2018-7?r=US&amp;IR=T">seeking exclusive rights to the stories</a> of rescuers, divers, and the families of the 12 boys and their coach who were trapped in a cave for up to 17 days. The managing director, who is married to a Thai woman who knew the former Navy SEAL that died on the mission, said it could be a movie that "inspires millions" and that he sees it being a "major Hollywood film with A-list stars."</p><p>In response to the news, people on Twitter immediately began commenting that they hoped the film would be made in Thailand with an Asian cast.</p><p>When one person commented a "white wash" <span>-</span> a term used to describe how Caucasian actors are frequently cast in the role of originally ethnic characters <span>- had begun, director </span>Jon M. Chu replied, "<span>Those days of letting it happen are over."</span></p><p><span>"I refuse to let Hollywood #whitewashout the Thai Cave rescue story! No way. Not on our watch. That won't happen or we'll give them hell. There's a beautiful story [about] human beings saving other human beings. So anyone thinking [about] the story better approach it right &amp; respectfully," </span><span>Chu, who directed "Now You See Me 2," wrote on <a href="https://twitter.com/jonmchu/status/1017206723222876163">Twitter</a>.</span></p><p><span>He added: "We have the power to not only MAKE history but be the historians that RECORD it too. So that it's told correctly and respectfully. Couldn't just sit here watching how others would 'interpret' this important story."</span></p><p><span><a href="https://variety.com/2018/film/news/thai-cave-rescue-second-movie-jon-m-chu-1202871074/">Variety</a> reported that Chu and Ivanoe Pictures, which co-produced next month's release "Crazy Rich Asians," are in talks with studios and senior national and provincial officials in Thailand.</span><span></span></p><p><span>Chu also spoke of his experience directing "Crazy Rich Asians," an adaptation of the bestselling book by Kevin Kwan, which featured an all-Asian cast in a major Hollywood film. An achievement that was lauded by some as "<a href="https://twitter.com/HaydenSzeto/status/988459192359927808">historic</a>."</span></p><p><span>He said his biggest lesson from that film was the importance of people telling their own stories, "so history doesn't get it wrong."</span></p><p><span>"This one is too important [to] let others dictate who the real heroes are," Chu wrote.</span><span></span><span></span></p>     <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/how-creepy-models-houses-were-made-in-hereditary-movie-toni-collette-2018-6">How the creepy models were made in 'Hereditary'</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/qIihzvCs-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

Director of 'Crazy Rich Asians' is making a movie about the Thai cave rescue and promised that it won't be a 'white wash

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5b1963b71ae6621f008b4a0c-1500/crazy rich asians movie 2.jpg" border="0" alt="Crazy Rich Asians Movie 2" data-mce-source="Color Force/IMDB" data-mce-caption="Constance Wu in this summer's &amp;quotCrazy Rich Asians&quot;" /><p class="source"><span>Color Force/IMDB</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>"Crazy Rich Asians" is an extravagant, hilarious, and poignant examination of Asian American and Asian cultures. </strong></li><li><strong>It is a new kind of rom-com for many reasons.</strong></li><li><strong>The cast is wonderful, and shows that Constance Wu and Henry Golding can carry a movie with their charm and outstanding talent in both comedy and drama.</strong></li><li><strong>Awkwafina and Michelle Yeoh are other highlights. </strong></li></ul><hr /><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It's a shame that it took decades of filmmaking to get a delightful yet poignant movie like "Crazy Rich Asians" made. It's an incredible, moving, and hilarious film that is just as rich in details and clever social satire as Kevin Kwan's 2013 best-selling novel of the same name.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Director Jon M. Wu <a href="https://twitter.com/ConstanceWu/status/1024449682766852096">says</a> that "Crazy Rich Asians" is "not just a movie, it's a movement." It's also an experience <span>- </span>of lavish food, culture, interiors, fashion, and Singapore itself. You might look up flights to Singapore as you walk out of the movie, like I did. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The film is hilarious, emotional, and educational as it examines the differences between Rachel Chu (played by Wu, a natural lead), an Asian American woman who grew up with a Chinese single mom, and her boyfriend, Nick Young, who comes from and incredibly wealthy and traditional Singaporean family. The problem? Nick never bothered to tell Rachel about his family.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5b17d42e1ae66253008b496b-1280/maxresdefault.jpg" border="0" alt="crazy rich asians" data-mce-source="Warner Bros." data-mce-caption="&amp;quotCrazy Rich Asians&quot;" /><p class="source"><span>Warner Bros.</span></p><p class="caption">Henry Golding is excellent as Nick Young.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Though screenwriters Peter Chiarelli and Adele Lim take some narrative departures to make the story tighter, the movie follows the book's story quite religiously. After some convincing, Rachel accompanies Nick to Singapore for his best friend's wedding which, unbeknownst to her, is basically a Singaporean royal wedding. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Rachel visits her best friend from college Goh Peik Lin, played by a scene-stealing Awkwafina, and then she meets Nick's family. Once that happens, there's tension between Rachel and Nick's mother <span>Eleanor Sung-Young (played by Yeoh). Rachel quickly realizes that friends </span>and family look down on her for being an Asian American and assume that she's just after Nick's money. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5b6b232164dce81c008b4cf9-2400/awkwafina-crazy-rich-asian-comedian-rapper.jpg" border="0" alt="awkwafina crazy rich asian comedian rapper" data-mce-source="Netflix" /><p class="source"><span>Netflix</span></p><p class="caption">Awkwafina steals every scene she's in.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The beloved characters from the book are brought to life by its perfect cast: from Constance Wu to Michelle <span>Yeoh</span> to its all-Asian supporting characters and extras. Everyone involved in this film had the time of their lives filming it, and that joy shows in every frame. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"Crazy Rich Asians" is not only significant as the first major theatrical release starring Asian Americans in 25 years, since 1993's "Joy Luck Club," but for its vast and entirely Asian cast.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5b6b22ab89c8a158528b4b50-768/cra-explainer-lead-1524490936.png" border="0" alt="Crazy Rich Asians" data-mce-source="Netflix" /><p class="source"><span>Netflix</span></p><p class="caption">The sets, costumes and locations are stunning.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">What's also refreshing is its story. Movies, especially romantic comedies, often tell the same story: a workaholic 26-year-old white blonde woman, who is played by an actress in her 30s, can't find love because she's too obsessed with her job. Then, in comes a white man played by an actor in his 40s to make her reconsider her personality. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"Crazy Rich Asians" ignores many tropes set for rom-coms. At the beginning of the movie, the main characters have already been dating for over a year. And their relationship's obstacles <span>-</span> family and money <span>-</span> are more real than most romantic comedies.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5b6b23b78ea82f19008b4fc5-767/cra-01863-e1533137152372 2.jpg" border="0" alt="crazy Rich Asians" data-mce-source="Universal" data-mce-caption="Jimmy O. Yang from &amp;quotSilicon Valley&quot; plays one of Nick's annoying cousins." /><p class="source"><span>Universal</span></p><p class="caption">Jimmy O. Yang from "Silicon Valley" is also in the movie.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If Hollywood listens, "Crazy Rich Asians" absolutely has the potential to bolster a change for Asian actors, filmmakers, and stories. It's a necessary push for inclusivity in the film industry. Like February's "Black Panther," it makes a lot of people who've largely been ignored feel seen. It also proves these specific stories work for everyone, even if they don't look the same as the people on screen. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"Crazy Rich Asians" is a blast, and within minutes it will immerse you into its extraordinary extravagance and extraordinary talent.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The movie comes to theaters August 15.</span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/steven-anthony-lawrence-beans-from-even-stevens-where-are-they-now-today-2018-7">Here's what Beans from 'Even Stevens' is up to today</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/WHJ2AFFY-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

'Crazy Rich Asians' is an extravagant, hilarious, and poignant examination of Asian American and Asian cultures that revolutionizes the studio rom-com

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5b73283b0ce5f51a3a8b4bb1-1200/jon m chu alberto e rodriguez getty final.jpg" border="0" alt="Jon M Chu Alberto E Rodriguez Getty final" data-mce-source="Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty" /><p class="source"><span>Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty</span></p><p class="caption">"Crazy Rich Asians" director Jon M. Chu.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>Director Jon M. Chu was looking for a way to stop Hollywood whitewashing when the script for "Crazy Rich Asians" fell in his lap.</strong></li><li><strong>But the movie also gave him a chance to prove to audiences that he can do more than make forgettable Hollywood titles like "G.I. Joe: Retaliation" and "Jem and the Holograms." </strong></li><li><strong>He told Business Insider how the fear of failure drove him to making "Crazy Rich Asians," his most acclaimed movie of his career to date.</strong></li></ul><hr /><p><br />Jon M. Chu is the first to admit he's taken a different path than most to becoming a working director in Hollywood.</p><p>He was immediately thrust into the studio system when his short film at USC, "When the Kids Are Away," caught the eye of Steven Spielberg. With that blessing, he quickly got jobs making Hollywood titles like "Step Up 2: The Streets," "Step Up 3D," "G.I. Joe: Retaliation," and "Jem and the Holograms."</p><p>But then in the last few years, Chu came across online protests like <a href="https://twitter.com/whitewashedOUT?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#WhitewashedOut</a> and <a href="http://starringjohncho.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">#StarringJohnCho</a> that put a spotlight on the lack of Asian representation in US movies, and realized he had to stop trying to just survive in the industry, and get behind the cause.</p><p>"I realized that I was actually part of the problem, not by contributing in some crazy way, but the fact that I hadn't done anything to help shift that," Chu told Business Insider.</p><p>Unbeknownst to Chu, redemption was coming in the form of the script adaptation of the book "Crazy Rich Asians."</p><p>The national best-seller written by Kevin Kwan follows the funny gossip and scheming that occurs when "ABC" (American-born Chinese) Rachel Chu (star Constance Wu in the movie) spends the summer in Singapore with her boyfriend Nicholas Young (Henry Golding) as they attend a wedding. What Rachel quickly realizes is that Nicholas' family is one of the wealthiest in Asia, and the wedding is the social event of the year.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5b732a851982d834008b5105-1024/rs1024x683-180801073550-1024crazy-rich-asians8118.jpg" border="0" alt="Crazy Rich Asians" data-mce-source="Warner Bros." /><p class="source"><span>Warner Bros.</span></p><p class="caption">Constance Wu and Henry Golding in "Crazy Rich Asians."</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Chu realized this was what he was looking for and in convincing producers Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson he was right for the project, made a presentation that was filled with personal insights about his background and family in the hopes of convincing them that he was the right person to direct.</p><p>Chu would learn after getting the job that being Chinese-American wasn't his only connection to the material. He and his family are actually in the book.</p><p>"I had no idea my cousin is best friends with Kevin and he wrote my family in the book," Chu said. "I had no idea that I was literally 'the cousin who makes movies' in the book. When I met Kevin I was like, 'What the hell is happening here?'"</p><p>According to Chu, he was extremely confident in how to adapt the book so whether you were Asian or not in the audience, you could relate to the story. But it wasn't just the need to tackle a project that looked into his own cultural identity that drove Chu, he also wanted to prove that he was more than a filmmaker who made second-tier Hollywood movies, many of which weren't hailed critically or at the box office.</p><p>"I had to see if I'm a real filmmaker," Chu said. "I mean, I have proven myself in movies and franchises, but am I an artist? Can I contribute something to a medium that I love so much?"</p><p>Chu said if he got anything out of making movies that found the ire of critics - 2015's "Jem and the Holograms" was the low point, with a <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/jem_and_the_holograms_2015/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">19% Rotten Tomatoes</a> score and Universal yanking it from over 2,000 screens <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/box-office-jem-and-the-holograms-did-universal-yanked-it-after-two-weeks-2015-11">in just its second week in theaters</a> - it's to have a thick skin and not get gun shy. And Chu often had to remind himself that on the set of "Crazy Rich Asians."</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/55ce119e371d22c6178be8b6-2242/jem and the holograms.jpg" border="0" alt="Jem and the Holograms" data-mce-source="Universal" /><p class="source"><span>Universal</span></p><p class="caption">Chu's "Jem and the Holograms" only earned $2.3 million at the worldwide box office.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>"The fear of doing ['Jem'] again was definitely present," he said. "I always told myself after 'Jem,' I don't want fear to change my choices. Fear is a destruction of creativity. Any time I had a fear about this movie I would go to that idea, don't let 'Jem' determine your choices here. You were destined to be here and do this movie."</p><p>And though he felt he was on the right path during production - with encouragement from the producers, and even a flashy presentation at this year's CinemaCon, where the movie's studio, Warner Bros., showcased to theater owners why the first Hollywood-produced movie with an all-Asian cast in 25 years would work - behind the scenes Chu wouldn't get too excited.</p><p>"Our test screenings were hard to recruit," he said. "It was 20-1 saying yes to see a free screening of 'Crazy Rich Asians' back in November and December. It was so hard to convince Caucasian people that this movie was for them. And Asian people, if they didn't know the book, they thought the title was offensive. So it was always an uphill battle."</p><p>Chu said it was the "just see the movie" marketing approach by Warner Bros. that convinced him audiences would want to see his rom-com with a family backbone. It wasn't a blitz of internet and TV ads. It was just finally showing audiences early screenings of the movie that led to a word-of-mouth buzz that is powering the movie (which opens Wednesday) to have a big opening weekend.</p><p>For Chu, it's confirmation of the abilities that caught Spielberg's eye all those years ago ("Crazy Rich Asians" is the <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/john_chu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">first "fresh" score Chu has even gotten on Rotten Tomatoes</a>) and it's led to bigger projects. He's going to direct the screen adaptation of the Lin-Manuel Miranda Broadway musical "In the Heights" and he's signed on for one of the <a href="https://deadline.com/2018/07/john-m-chu-thai-cave-rescue-film-whitewashing-ivanhoe-pictures-1202425078/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Thai cave rescue movies</a>. But "Asians" is also a landmark moment in the movement to end whitewashing in Hollywood.</p><p>"That's the one party we haven't been invited too," Chu said, referring to advances in Asian casting in TV and streaming. At one time, "Crazy Rich Asians" could have been a Netflix release, but Chu knew that wouldn't have been right in proving Asians can carry a movie.</p><p>"The big screen is the big show," Chu continued, "and that means [a studio] has to spend tens of millions of dollars on marketing and tell the world that this is worth your time and energy, so we felt that was the important message that needed to be told. I fully believe this whole fervor that's going on would not have happened if we were on Netflix. For this movement, we needed a parade." </p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/steven-anthony-lawrence-beans-from-even-stevens-where-are-they-now-today-2018-7">Here's what Beans from 'Even Stevens' is up to today</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/WHJ2AFFY-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

The director of 'Crazy Rich Asians' had to ignore past failure to make a career-defining movie that hopes to push real Hollywood change

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5b4dddf45ea10819008b4bd5-1200/dong%20yaoqiong.jpg" border="0" alt="Dong Yaoqiong china xi jinping livestream" data-mce-source="Hua Yong/Twitter" data-mce-caption="Dong Yaoqiong livestreaming herself defacing a poster of Xi Jinping in Shanghai, China, on July 4." data-link="https://twitter.com/HuaYong798/status/1014395752045535232"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://twitter.com/HuaYong798/status/1014395752045535232">Hua Yong/Twitter</a></span></p><p class="caption">Dong Yaoqiong livestreaming herself defacing a poster of Xi Jinping in Shanghai, China, on July 4.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div><ul><li><strong>Dong Yaoqiong posted a video of herself protesting Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party, and pouring ink on a poster of China's powerful president.</strong></li><li><strong>The video has since been taken down, and nobody has seen her.</strong></li><li><strong>Her father and a Chinese artist supporting her have also gone missing after publicly demanding her whereabouts.</strong></li><li><strong>China has been trying to cement Xi's position as the most powerful person in China.</strong></li></ul><hr><p><br>A Chinese woman has been missing for two weeks after posting a video of herself pouring black ink over a poster of Xi Jinping.</br></p><p><span>Dong Yaoqiong posted a video of her protest on July 4 and hasn't been seen since. The original video has also been removed from her Twitter account,&#xa0;@feefeefly, but has been reposted by supporters.</span></p><p><span>In the video - in which she identifies the time as shortly after 6:40 a.m. and her location as Shanghai's Lujiazui financial district - Dong is seen shouting:&#xa0;"I am against Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party" repeatedly, and accusing the party of carrying out "oppressive brain control."</span></p><p>After defacing a poster of Xi's face, Dong adds: "Seen it yet? This was my behavior," before waving to commuters passing by.</p><p>Watch a version of the video, reposted by Chinese artist Hua Yong, below.&#xa0;Some of the audio and visuals in the repost don't match up entirely.</p><p>Later that afternoon, Dong posted photos of what appeared to be police officers from a door's peephole.</p><p>She said, <a href="https://www.hongkongfp.com/2018/07/05/video-concerns-whereabouts-shanghai-woman-splashed-ink-xi-jinping-poster-twitter-account-disappears/">according to the Hong Kong Free Press</a> <keyword id="6355005" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="news">news</keyword> site: "Right now there are a group of people wearing uniforms outside my door. I'll go out after I change my clothes. I did not commit a crime. The people and groups that hurt me are the ones who are guilty."</p><p>She has not been seen since that broadcast, and those photos have disappeared from her Twitter account.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5b4dee56f29aa42e008b4c06-1200/xi%20jinping%20poster%20pla%20guard.jpg" border="0" alt="xi jinping poster pla guard" data-mce-source="Anthony Kwan/Getty" data-mce-caption="A member of the People's Liberation Army stands guard in front of a billboard of Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Shek Kong Barracks on June 30, 2018 in Hong Kong."><p class="source"><span>Anthony Kwan/Getty</span></p><p class="caption">A member of China's People's Liberation Army guarding a billboard of Xi Jinping in Hong Kong in June 2018.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div><p>Hua, the Chinese artist, and Dong's father have also been detained while publicly demanding her whereabouts, according to&#xa0;<a href="https://www.firstpost.com/world/chinese-woman-detained-after-tossing-ink-on-xi-jinping-poster-activists-accuse-authorities-of-suppressing-freedom-of-speech-4757971.html">Agence France-Presse</a> and <a href="https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/inking-07162018103924.html">Radio Free Asia</a>.</p><p>Hua and Dong Jianbiao were reportedly detained after they <a href="https://youtu.be/TnvpwxVOwB8">livestreamed a video on Friday</a>, in which Dong identified himself and called for his daughter's release. A man purporting to be plainclothes police knocked on the door and said he wanted to take the pair away for investigation.</p><p>The video ends with the man entering the property without permission, and ignoring Hua when asked whether he had a search warrant.</p><p>Hua was detained for questioning and released on Monday, but has not yet been seen in person, Radio Free Asia reported. Dong's whereabouts are currently not known.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5b114e131ae66246008b4a9f-1006/xi%20jinping%20sip%20tea.jpg" border="0" alt="xi jinping sip tea" data-mce-source="Kevin Frayer/Getty" data-mce-caption="BEIJING, CHINA - MARCH 20: China's President Xi Jinping, center, drinks tea during the closing session of the National People's Congress at The Great Hall Of The People on March 20, 2018 in Beijing, China. The annual gathering of Chinese lawmakers concluded with a nationalistic speech by president Xi Jinping, his first public address since the abolishment of term limits marked the beginning of his indefinite rule. Xi spoke confidently of China's determination to take its place in the world, and gave the strongest sign in decades that the Communist government wants to bring Taiwan back under Beijing's control. Xi warned that China would never allow 'one inch' of territory to be separated from it, and said any attempts to split China will receive 'the punishment of history'. The denunciation appeared to be aimed at the United States, after U.S. President Donald Trump signed the Taiwan Travel Act this week that allows high-level U.S. visits to Taiwan. Xi's speech earned wide applause from the nearly 3,000 loyal delegates at the National People's Congress, which voted earlier this month to amend the constitution to allow the 64-year old Xi the possibility of being a 'leader for life'. The concentration of virtually unchecked power has stirred worries of China's return to an era of autocratic rule not seen since Mao Zedong. (Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)"><p class="source"><span>Kevin Frayer/Getty</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div><p>Dong's protest comes as China amps up its efforts to secure Xi's position as the most powerful man in China. The country abolished presidential term limits&#xa0;earlier this year, meaning Xi can rule forever if he wanted to.</p><p>People seen as a threat to China's ruling party have mysteriously gone missing in the past. In 2015, five booksellers who had published works critical of Chinese leaders disappeared for two months. All have since reappeared, with four of them going on national TV appearing to confess to their alleged crimes against the Chinese state.</p><p>China has also routinely <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/china-censors-letter-n-in-crackdown-on-presidential-term-limit-discussion-2018-2">censored social media posts</a> appearing to criticise Xi.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>#紧急关注这位女士# 刚刚微信朋友圈看到这个视频，为这位女士担忧，担忧她的安全，这个直播视频已经在国内流传，我想知道她的名字，请上海的朋友多打听她现在的状况，拜托大家关注，不要让她无声无息地消失，"捍卫宪法，言论自由无罪！" <a href="https://t.co/idwO8lxNwj">pic.twitter.com/idwO8lxNwj</a></p>- 华涌  (@HuaYong798) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1014395752045535232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 4, 2018</a></blockquote><script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/border-patrol-agents-us-mexico-border-video-2018-7">I spent a day with Border Patrol agents at the US-Mexico border</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/cix8xBqz-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div></hr>

You Searched For "kevin kwan" and got 6 results

'Crazy Rich Asians' earns the biggest Labor Day weekend box office in over a decade

Jason Guerrasio

'Crazy Rich Asians' dominates the box office with a $25.2 million weekend take, $34 million 5-day opening

Jason Guerrasio

Director of 'Crazy Rich Asians' is making a movie about the Thai cave rescue and promised that it won't be a 'white wash

Tara Francis Chan

'Crazy Rich Asians' is an extravagant, hilarious, and poignant examination of Asian American and Asian cultures that revolutionizes the studio rom-com

Carrie Wittmer

The director of 'Crazy Rich Asians' had to ignore past failure to make a career-defining movie that hopes to push real Hollywood change

Jason Guerrasio

A Chinese woman who poured ink over a Xi Jinping poster has been missing for 2 weeks, and her father reportedly detained

Alexandra Ma