"Crazy Rich Asians" Wins Critics' Choice Award for Best Comedy

The cast of "Crazy Rich Asians" pose for a photo. [File Photo: baidu.com]

The film "Crazy Rich Asians", which tells a story reminiscent of a modern-day Cinderella, won the award for Best Comedy at the Critics' Choice Awards on Sunday.

Other nominees in the category included "Deadpool 2," "The Death of Stalin," "Game Night," "Sorry to Bother You", and "The Favorite".

During an emotional acceptance speech, the film's producer Nina Jacobson explained how profound the movie's success has been for the industry. "When I was coming up in the business, my bosses — white guys — told me that while every audience member can identify with a white male protagonist, white dudes can't be counted on to identify with anyone who doesn't look or live like they do".

Films with an all-Asian cast are rare in Hollywood. The last film of its kind was "The Joy Luck Club", which came out 25 years ago. And of the top 100 highest-grossing Hollywood movies, only 5 percent have lead roles portrayed by Asian actors and actresses.

Although the film garnered praise from critics and audiences in several markets, it didn't perform well in the Chinese mainland. Its box office earnings were only around 11 million yuan in the first 10 days of screenings.