F9—the movie, not the keyboard function—sped away victorious at this weekend’s international box office, leaving all other competitors in its dust. The Vin Diesel-starring action pic, the tenth in the Fast and Furious franchise if you include Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (and who would do otherwise?) raced to a $162.4 million start in overseas markets according to The Hollywood Reporter.
When the movie cruises in for a domestic opening on June 25, it will already a champion. And unlike titles from Warner Bros. and Disney, this will be a theatrical-only release.
Of this weekend’s $162.4 million, a whopping $135.6 million came from China. (Additional markets include Korea, Russia, and the Middle East.) It is the biggest Chinese opening of a Hollywood film since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.
This weekend also pushed the franchise across the $6 billion threshold. It currently ranks ninth on the list of highest-grossing film series, a few bucks north of “Middle Earth” and just shy of the collected Batman films (which, naturally, is an invitation to slide down the batpole of arguing what counts in that categorization, but that’s what chaos agents like the Joker want you to do.) Nothing, however, comes close to the Marvel Cinematic Universe at $22.6 billion.
Reviews for F9 from English-language trade press maintain a shrugging, “sure, why not?” attitude, perhaps best expressed by Screen Daily‘s Tim Grierson, who says the “jolly inventiveness” of the action is balanced by the “painfully corny” drama. Variety‘s Owen Gleiberman‘s somewhat bemused review details a long-rumored sequence for the eighth sequel that we shall not spoil.
F9 marks the return of Justin Lin to the director’s chair. He had previously helmed parts three though six, but stepped away from the franchise and delivered Star Trek Beyond.
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