The 10th installment of the Fast and Furious franchise was off to the races this weekend, knocking Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 out of first place and easily claiming the No. 1 spot at the box office. Fast X earned $67.5 million in ticket sales from 4,046 North American theaters, according to estimates from Universal Pictures on Sunday.
Its on the lower end of openings for the series which peaked with Furious 7s $142.2 million launch, the sole movie in the series to surpass $100 million out of the gates. Fast Xs domestic debut only ranks above the first three. The last movie, F9, opened to $70 million in 2021.
But this is also a series that has usually made the bulk of its money internationally, often over 70%. True to form, overseas its on turbo drive. Fast X opened in 84 markets internationally, playing in over 24,000 theaters, where it earned an estimated $251.4 million. The top market was China with $78.3 million, followed by Mexico with $16.7 million. And it adds up to a $319 million global debut the third biggest of the franchise.
Its a global franchise with a very broad audience, said Jim Orr, Universals head of domestic distribution. The themes resonate across the world.
Directed by Louis Leterrier (who took over from Justin Lin during production), Fast X brings back the familiar crew including Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson and Jordana Brewster and adds several newcomers, like Brie Larson, Rita Moreno and a villain played by Jason Momoa. The ever-expanding cast also includes Jason Statham, Charlize Theron, Scott Eastwood and Helen Mirren.
Reports say the movie cost $340 million to produce, not including marketing.
Reviews were mixed for Fast X, the beginning of the end for the $6 billion franchise, which currently has a 54% on Rotten Tomatoes. APs Mark Kennedy wrote in his review that, It has become almost camp, as if it breathed in too much of its own fumes and that its also monstrously silly and stupidly entertaining.
According to exit polls audienecs were 29% Caucasian, 29% Hispanic and 21% Black, and 58% were between the ages of 18 and 34. They gave the film a B+ CinemaScore.
In its third weekend, Disney and Marvels Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 made an estimated $32 million in North America to take second place. Its now made $266.5 million domestically and $659.1 million globally.
Third place went to another Universal juggernaut, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which is now in its seventh weekend and available to rent on VOD. Nevertheless, it earned an additional $9.8 million in North America, bringing its domestic total to $549.3 million.
Book Club: The Next Chapter added $3 million in its second weekend to take fourth place, while Evil Dead Rise rounded out the top five in its fifth weekend with $2.4 million.
Mario and Fast X are just the latest success stories for Universal, following hits like Cocaine Bear and M3GAN. And later this summer, on July 21, theyll release Christopher Nolans Oppenheimer.
Universal as a studio is just on a roll like no other by having this incredible slate of films from all different types of genres, said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. Theyve created a release strategy thats really picture perfect so far.
Fast X doesnt have an entirely open runway though. Next weekend there will be sizable competition in Disneys live-action The Little Mermaid, in addition to a slew of crowd-pleasers hoping to catch a Memorial Day weekend audience, including Julia Louis-Dreyfus in You Hurt My Feelings and the broad comedy About My Father, with Sebastian Maniscalco and Robert De Niro.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. Fast X, $67.5 million.
2. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, $32 million.
3. The Super Mario Bros. Movie, $9.8 million.
4. Book Club: The Next Chapter, $3 million.
5. Evil Dead Rise, $2.4 million.
6. John Wick: Chapter 4, $1.3 million.
7. Are You There God? Its Me, Margaret. $1.3 million.
8. Hypnotic, $825,000.
9. MET Opera: Don Giovanni, $701,025.
10. BlackBerry, $525,000.
