On the eve of Crazy Rich Asians’ nationwide U.S. release last week, we partnered up with Warner Bros. Pictures and IW Group to host a private screening in New York that brought together media professionals and Asian American leaders. The event celebrated a historic milestone for diversity and representation and sparked dialogue about the future of Hollywood in an increasingly multicultural consumer landscape.
As the first major American film starring an all-Asian cast since The Joy Luck Club in 1993, Crazy Rich Asians is more than just a movie for the Asian American community—it’s a cinematic turning point. The Jon M. Chu-directed romantic comedy represents a newfound visibility on the silver screen that has been a long time coming.
"Asiatische Amerikaner sehen und erkennen sich gegenseitig, versammeln und vereinen sich, um gesehen und gehört zu werden, wie nie zuvor", sagte Mariko Carpenter, Nielsens VP of Strategic Community Alliances. "Als Verbrauchersegment mit der am schnellsten wachsenden Kaufkraft und einer starken digitalen Präsenz stellt dieses Segment eine enorme Chance und einflussreiche Stimme dar."
Die Nielsen-Veranstaltung, die im AMC 34th Street Theater stattfand, zog Vertreter von Unternehmen wie der New York Times, Forbes und Buzzfeed sowie von gemeinnützigen Organisationen wie dem Chinese-American Planning Council, dem Charles B. Wang Community Health Center und dem Korean American Family Services Center an.
Nielsen Chief Diversity Officer Angela Talton kicked off the evening by welcoming attendees and highlighting some key findings featured in our newly-published consumer report, Asian Americans: Digital Lives and Growing Influence. The report offers key insights into Asian American consumer habits across various industries. In addition to showing that Asian Americans are the fastest-growing and most affluent U.S. segment—with a buying power quickly approaching $1 trillion dollars—the report also noted that Asian Americans are avid and devoted moviegoers. For example, when compared to Non-Hispanic Whites, Asian Americans over index by 75% for buying movie tickets online and 23% for having attended a movie at a theater once in the last 30 days.
"Wenn es um die Kinobesucherzahlen geht, liegen die asiatischen Amerikaner in jeder Hinsicht über dem Index", sagte Angela. "In einer Zeit, in der die Menschen immer weniger ins Kino gehen, können es sich die Studios nicht leisten, das asiatisch-amerikanische Publikum zu ignorieren."
Following the screening, viewers were treated to a private reception where they enjoyed dim sum and specialty “mocktails” catered by popular Chinatown eatery Nom Wah Tea Parlor. Conversations turned to why it took Hollywood a quarter of a century to produce another contemporary film with an Asian leading cast and the movie’s opening weekend prospects.
“To say that a film like Crazy Rich Asians doesn’t come around very often would be a gross understatement,” said Nita Song, President & Chief Momentum Officer of IW Group, a multicultural marketing agency that oversaw the Asian American outreach efforts for the Warner Bros. film. “It also presents the ultimate litmus test in terms of proving that Asian Americans are a commercially viable audience segment.”
The movie has inspired similar conversations across news outlets. Caroline Ceniza-Levine, an entrepreneur and blogger for Forbes who attended the screening, documented her reaction in a recent article on Forbes.com—finding key career lessons in both the movie and the consumer insights presented beforehand. In addition, Mariko recently sat down with Bloomberg TV’s Daybreak Asia to discuss the opportunity in the current media landscape for more authentic Asian American content in the wake of the movie’s success.
Oben abgebildet: Angela Talton (Dritte von rechts) mit den Besuchern der Nielsen-Vorführung von Crazy Rich Asians.
