Excerpt: The No. 1 box-office hit Crazy Rich Asians is the latest proof of concept behind the call for more diverse stories in Hollywood. The film handily outperformed expectations and joins 2017’s critical and commercial hit Get Out and the history making Black Panther as films fronted by a non-white cast that delivered above and beyond at the box office. The success of Crazy Rich Asians is not an isolated event but rather an indication of the demand for rich and culturally relevant stories that focus on Asian communities. Crazy Rich Asians is a significant milestone, but it is one of many content offerings that provide an authentic Asian perspective and that appeal to mainstream audiences.
Asian Americans are one of the fastest growing demographic groups in the United States. They are socially and commercially vibrant with a remarkable 73% of all adult Asian Americans having been born outside the United States, which is almost double the number for Hispanics. As this segment grows in size, their influence on mainstream culture is even more profound.
Mindshare’s 2018 Culture Vulture Trends Report asserts that the Asian demographic is growing in its cultural impact and relevance to mainstream media. “While Asian Americans have long established a foothold in digital media, there has a been a growing demand to see more and better representations in traditional mass media like movies and TV,” says Jodie Huang, Manager, Insights, Mindshare North America.” Indeed, 2018 has been a year of milestones for the Asian community. Sandra Oh has become the first actress of Asian descent to be nominated for an Emmy as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her role in BBC America’s Killing Eve. ABC’s comedy Fresh Off the Boat will anchor the network’s upcoming TGIF Friday night lineup and will be the first network show with an all-Asian cast to enter syndication when it premieres on UPtv this September.
Read the full article, including more insights from Huang, on Media Village.
