‘Crazy Rich Asians’ turned down a ‘gigantic payday’ from Netflix

Warner
Bros.

• Netflix made a huge offer to distribute the “Crazy Rich
  Asians” movie, but the author of the book it’s based on, and
  the film’s director, said “no” in favor of a theatrical
  release.
• “Crazy Rich Asians” is the first studio film to tell an
  Asian-American story in 25 years.
• Because of the film’s significance, author Kevin Kwan
  and director Jon M. Chu decided that a major theatrical release
  was more important than the money and creative freedom Netflix
  offered. 

“Crazy Rich Asians” could potentially have made a lot more money
as a Netflix original movie, but despite a huge offer, Netflix
got a “no” in favor of a major theatrical release. 

The movie, based on Kevin Kwan’s 2013 novel of the same name,
doesn’t come out for over a week, but it’s already made history
as the first studio film starring an Asian-American cast
(Constance Wu of “Fresh Off the Boat” stars as Rachel Chu) in
over 25 years. The last film to do so was 1993’s “The Joy Luck
Club.”

According to
The Hollywood Reporter, Netflix swooped in with an offer to
buy “Crazy Rich Asians” that was bigger than the Warner Bros.
offer.

“I could have moved to an island and never worked another
day,” Kwan told THR.

But while Netflix offered more money and more
artistic freedom, it couldn’t offer the one thing that was
important to Kwan and director Jon M. Chu: getting Asians on the
big screen. 

Kwan and Chu both considered the huge payday, but ultimately went
the traditional route, despite what advisors suggested.
“Here, we have a chance for this gigantic payday
instantaneously,” Kwan said. “But Jon [Chu] and I both felt this
sense of purpose. We needed this to be an old-fashioned cinematic
experience, not for fans to sit in front of a TV and just press a
button.”

Kwan and Chu agreed that they wanted this historic film to
prove that these stories sell tickets, instead of never knowing
how many people watched the movie on Netflix, which doesn’t
release its numbers or even tell its creators.

The August 15 release of “Crazy Rich Asians” could continue
the movement of diverse hit films like February’s “Black
Panther,” and will hopefully ensure it won’t be another 25 years
until the next Asian-American story is told on the big
screen.