F9's Box Office Pushes Fast & Furious Franchise Over $6 Billion Globally

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Fast & Furious 9's international opening sends the franchise's lifetime gross past $6 billion worldwide. When The Fast and the Furious debuted twenty years ago, few could guess the heights the franchise would reach. What first began as an action flick about street racing has evolved into a global adventure that is, at its heart, about family above all else. Fast & Furious 9, officially titled F9, was originally scheduled for release last year, but due to the coronavirus pandemic, it shifted to this year. It has already begun to roll out internationally ahead of a U.S. debut next month.

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Fast & Furious 9 will see the returns of the central team audiences know and love, led by Vin Diesel's Dominic Toretto. This time around, Dom and his family's domestic bliss is shattered by the return of Jakob (John Cena), Dom's estranged brother. Jakob has teamed up with the previous installment's villain, Cipher (Charlize Theron), with an eye on taking Dom down once and for all. As if that wasn't exciting enough, Fast & Furious 9 also features the long-awaited return of Han (Sung Kang), previously thought to be dead several movies ago.

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So far, Fast & Furious 9 is off to a rousing start at the box office. Per Variety, F9 scored an opening weekend of $162.4 million from eight markets, the best opening weekend for a Hollywood blockbuster since the pandemic began last year. It did especially well in China, earning $135 million to score the second biggest opening in the country for Fast & Furious following the last film. This hefty weekend total has moved the franchise past $6 billion in global grosses.

For many, this will be welcome news. The worldwide box office has taken a hit over the past year because of the pandemic, forcing numerous theaters to close and studios to delay their biggest projects to this year and beyond. Godzilla vs. Kong was the first movie to really show signs of improvement for the industry back in March, but as the summer movie season finally approaches, things have gone quiet again. It remains to be seen how Fast & Furious 9 will debut domestically, where movie theater attendance still varies, but the international total is still a big win for Universal.

Fast & Furious has cemented itself as a major box office force in recent years, and the delayed release for F9 has likely only increased anticipation. With several markets still to go, the total will only go up from here. Fast & Furious 9 still has a ways to go before it can be considered a true success, but the numbers are so far promising. This also bodes well for the franchise's next two installments, which will be its last (minus any spin-offs that might emerge). Diesel and other series stars truly committed to a theatrical release for Fast & Furious 9, and it looks like it's paying off.