Fast & Furious 9 is bringing the international box office back to life following the coronavirus pandemic. The ninth installment of The Fast Saga has already earned $127 million from global markets and will likely make $160 million by the end of the weekend. That’s surpasses Godzilla vs. Kong to become the highest-grossing international debut for a film since the coronavirus pandemic hit the film and theater industries. That’s a good sign for the movie as it speeds towards its late June domestic opening in North America. Currently, the film is playing in eight countries, including Russia, South Korea, China, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt.
In China, a prominent and influential market, F9 has earned $105 million since opening, the best start for a Hollywood movie in the region since the pandemic began. It’s on pace to become Universal Pictures’ second-biggest opening in the market, behind only The Fate of the Furious.
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In F9, Dominic Toretto and his crew join forces to battle the most skilled assassin and high-performance driver they’ve ever encountered — his forsaken brother. The film stars Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, John Cena, Jordana Brewster, Nathalie Emmanuel, Sung Kang, Michael Rooker, Helen Mirren, Kurt Russell, and Charlize Theron.
Justin Lin — who previously direct The Fast Saga installments The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Fast & Furious, Fast Five, and Fast & Furious 6 — returns to the franchise to direct the first of the franchise’s final three movies. He says it’s the best Fast & Furious movie yet.
“In my gut and my mind, yes,” Lin said when asked by Entertainment Weekly. “Look, it’s always hard to compare because I also have the experience of what happens behind cameras. I sit there and sometimes you overcome the weirdest things just to be able to ultimately finish that movie that nobody else sees. But I do think that F9 is a culmination of all our work through the years. I like to think that my next movie is always my best movie — that’s what I strive for. But I also think that on so many levels with character, it was great to reconnect with everybody. Yeah, in my heart, I feel like F9 is the best film. It’s part of our evolution. But that’s until we do Fast 10, right?”
What do you think of F9‘s impressive international opening? Let us know in the comments. F9 opens in theaters in North America on June 25th.
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Image Courtesy of Netflix
