Summer is, unfortunately, ending. But, the most surprising film of the season is yet to go through its first Box Office weekend. Crazy Rich Asians started off as a New York Times best-selling novel written by Kevin Kwan and is now predicted to make upwards of $30 million, but given the hype, unreliable yet high Rotten Tomatoes percentage, and support from the Asian community, the film can easily cross that mark and become the summer’s highest grossing comedy, passing even the titan that was Mamma Mia 2.

Crazy Rich already has a little money in its coffers thanks to sneaks held in early August where it is reported it brought in anywhere from $450-500k from 354 locations. And while critics have already made their favorable decision, we are yet to find out if audiences across the country and worldwide will be impressed, or will simply be given another forgettable flick.

Following a fairly-tale story of Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) who, after finding out that her boyfriend’s family is hella loaded, has to deal with the age-old dilemmas of social class difference when entering another family. The book was a hit and Kwan was approached with TV and film deals almost immediately after publication.

Netflix wanted the book for a series, offering the biggest bid to Kwan. The sum was said to be so large that it would allow him to buy an island and never work another day, so why is the film being released theatrically by Warner Bros.? Kwan and the director, Jon M. Chu (G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Step Up 2) wanted to guarantee a wide theatrical run which would have not been included with a Netflix deal. The main reason is that both the author and the director strongly believe in the lack of representation of Asian actors on the big screen. The effect of having the book be adapted as a show would not bring as much attention to Asian screen talent, the two concluded. Declining the deal with Netflix must have been a heavy decision, but Kwan and Chu must be hopeful again after seeing the predictions for this weekend.

Crazy Rich Asians is now playing everywhere! Check out the trailer below: