“Fast X,” the 10th installment in Universal’s high-octane franchise, is revving up to lead global box office charts. The movie is projected to open to $60 million or more in North America and at least $220 million at the international box office. based on those estimates, “Fast X” is looking to capture $280 million worldwide in its first weekend of release.
In terms of domestic box office projections, a soft start around $60 million is below the latest entry, 2021’s “F9: The Fast Saga,” which kicked off to $70 million and ended its theatrical run with $173 million in North America. And that was at a time when COVID era restrictions meant only 80% of theaters were open and attendance hadn’t yet rebounded. It also lags way behind pre-pandemic “Fast” installments, including2017’s “The Fate of the Furious” ($98 million debut), 2015’s “Furious 7” (a series-high $148 million debut) and 2013’s “Fast and Furious 6” ($97 million debut).
Though the “Fast” saga has experienced diminishing returns in the U.S. and Canada, the big-screen homage to hulking men and speedy cars has remained hugely popular at the international box office. With each installment, overseas ticket sales have accounted for a bigger piece of the pie as “F9” and 2019’s spinoff “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw” each hit $550 million overseas, and 2017’s “Fate of the Furious” cleared the coveted $1 billion mark from foreign territories alone. “Fast X” needs to continue that trend because the film is the most expensive installment so far, costing a gargantuan $340 million to produce and another $100 million to promote to global audiences.
Directed by Louis Leterrier, “Fast X” follows Vin Diesel’s street racer Dom Toretto and crew as they confront the most lethal opponent they’ve ever faced. Jason Momoa plays the film’s antagonist Dante Reyes, the son of a drug lord who is seeking revenge for the loss of his family’s fortune from a prior heist in Rio de Janeiro. The ensemble cast includes a mix of familiar faces and newcomers to the family, including Michelle Rodriguez, Jason Statham, John Cena, Helen Mirren, Charlize Theron and Rita Moreno. Already, another sequel has been slated for release in 2025.
PvNew’s Peter Debruge called the movie “predictably ridiculous,” not that audiences are watching these movies for the plot. Especially with recent chapters, the “Fast” franchise has been less reliant on narrative coherence and more dependent on the zany, gravity-defying stunts and homages to family to sell tickets.
“Leterrier’s bad with story but reasonably strong on the action front,” Debruge wrote in his review. “While Hollywood’s highest-octane franchise shows no signs of slowing, it was crazy reckless to give the green light to such a clunker.”
