Golden Rider

#GoldOpen is a substantial promotional movement to ensure the opening weekend success of multicultural films. Achieving a "#GoldOpen" means the film debuts #1 at the box office in its opening weekend in its category. The Advisory Council informs and influences which films receive a #GoldOpen. Once selected, the Golden Rider is an educational clause whose agreement secures a film's #GoldOpen.

THE OFFICIAL RIDER

We celebrate that our film has at least one authentically-portrayed Asian Lead and/or an Asian Director who has helmed a film that’s critical to another multicultural community.

The Asian lead’s role may be specific to the Asian experience or universal to the human experience; afterall, our fifty ethnicities, hundreds of dialects, and migration to every edge of the Earth has generated 4.6 billion versions of what it means to be “Asian.” We also recognize that we can never just build for ourselves; having the critical lens of an Asian Director who proactively supports another critical community’s narrative creates a rising tide. Finally, the project must be a feature-length film that’s distributed theatrically for a minimum of one month.

The Asian lead’s role may be specific to the Asian experience or universal to the human experience; afterall, our fifty ethnicities, hundreds of dialects, and migration to every edge of the Earth has generated 4.6 billion versions of what it means to be “Asian.” We also recognize that we can never just build for ourselves; having the critical lens of an Asian Director who proactively supports another critical community’s narrative creates a rising tide. Finally, the project must be a feature-length film that’s distributed theatrically for a minimum of one month.
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CURRENT AFFAIRS

As part of the Golden Rider and #GoldOpen movement, we recognize that the following facts show why supporting Asian-led films makes sense from both a social-good and economic perspective.

  • Asians have the second-highest rate of movie-going (behind the Latinx community).
  • Asians are the fastest-growing racial group in the United States and the fastest-growing immigration population. The Asian diaspora is also the world’s largest at nearly 4.6 billion, with several Asian regions representing the fastest-growing film market. Notably, China is expected to become the world’s largest film market in 2020.
  • Asian American & Pacific Islander buying power topped $1 trillion in 2018 and continue to out-consume every other major demographic on nearly every consumer media device and for nearly every creative format.
  • After 25-years without a major Hollywood film starring a majority-Asian cast, Crazy Rich Asians became the highest-grossing romantic comedy in a decade.
  • In 2019, the film with the highest per-theater average was an Asian film — Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite — and the record was earlier held by Lulu Wang’s The Farewell (both topped Avengers: Endgame).

Sources: Nielsen (2018), MPAA (2018), The Hollywood Reporter (2018), New York Times (2018), The Guardian (2018), Pew Research 2017

1%

Asians represent only 1% of lead roles and 4.8% of speaking roles in Hollywood films.

1

Only one actor of Asian heritage has ever won an Academy Award for best actor: Ben Kingsley, whose father was Indian, in 1983 for playing Gandhi.


12

Only Twelve actors of Asian descent have ever received nominations from the Academy — almost all for supporting roles.

What is #GoldOpen?

#GoldOpen is a movement of passionate film fans, executives, influencers, and organizations dedicated to ensuring the opening weekend success of multicultural films. Our movement has successfully supported more than a dozen films to box office success since inception, creating both economic and social change.

Mass Mobilization

In partnership with hundreds of organizations, corporations, passionate film fans, and media leaders, the #GoldOpen community packs theatres to ensure a film’s opening weekend success.

Social Promotion

Through our extensive press, social media, and influencer networks, the #GoldOpen community amplifies a film’s core message, its talent, and criticality to engender positive word of mouth.

Viral Spectacles

From VIP Premieres to sold-out Family Days to special post-viewing meals at Asian restaurants, we extend a film’s convening and conversational experience long after the screening.

READY TO OPEN?

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Past Opens

Plus One

2019

The Farewell

2019

Crazy Rich Asians

2018

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2018
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