Gambling with an Asian plot

Yeoh is one of the most recognizable Asian faces in Hollywood with hits like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Memoirs of a Geisha.

But for Jon M. Chu, the director, the film is more than conveying a message.

"It doesn't have to be about being Asian, Chinese or American. It is just about all the different pieces that make up your unique identity," he says.

The director, whose last hit was Now You See Me 2, one of the 10 top-grossing imported films in China in 2016, adds: "It's just about understanding that in order to love someone, you have to love yourself first and all the things that you are."

Meanwhile, despite the lavish lifestyle in the film, the director sees things differently.

"Ultimately, this film is not about being wealthy. In fact, that is the least interesting part of the book to me.

"The story that we wanted to tell from the very beginning is about an outsider coming in and then finding her own self-worth," he explains.

But will the Chinese mainland audience buy this idea?

As of Tuesday, Crazy Rich Asians had seen its bookings total 847,000 yuan ($121.900), according to live box-office tracker Maoyan.

And using an index to reflect an upcoming film's popularity, the presale threshold can reach 10 million yuan or more, says the Beijing-based analyst Jiang Yong.