Fast X is beating box office predictions, as many had the sequel pegged at opening under $60 million. According to Deadline, the film is now pegged to open at around $66 million (below my optimistic $70 million guess) thanks to a stronger-than-expected Friday night after an underwhelming preview night. Even still, it can’t be denied that the opening is a disappointment if you consider F9 opened with $70 million at the height of the pandemic. Before that, The Fate of the Furious opened with $98 million, while Furious 7 opened with a mighty $147 million.
This is actually a worse opening than Fast & Furious back in April 2009, and that movie only cost about 1/4 of what this one did. However, it is better than Hobbs & Shaw, which opened to a disappointing $60 million in 2019, which put a premature end to that spin-off series. While some might be tempted to say Fast X is flopping, remember that these movies have always done much better overseas business. F9 made over $500 million internationally, while The Fate of the Furious cleared a billion dollars in foreign territories. China is usually considered one of the biggest territories for those films. Internationally, the film has grossed an additional $68.7 million (so far). Universal is definitely hoping the movie grossed a billion dollars worldwide, paving the way for Fast X – Part 2.
That said, I think the diminishing domestic grosses are proving the series is starting to run a little low on gas. One of the reasons Fast X might be underperforming is that F9 opened only two years ago, which seems like a short window for a franchise like this. You have to give audiences time to miss the characters. That said, don’t expect a long delay before the next one comes out, with Vin Diesel revealing at CinemaCon that they’ve already set a 2025 release date.
Do you think the series has run out of gas? Let us know in the comments!
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