Fast & Furious has been one of the most prominent film franchises for nearly 25 years, with the 11 installments released to date combining to gross over $7.4 billion at the worldwide box office. With that kind of track record, it would seem like a no-brainer to give another film the green light — especially one that’s positioned to be a grand finale for the long-running saga. However, it has not been smooth sailing for Fast X – Part 2, which has been stuck in development hell as Vin Diesel and Co. figure out what to do. Diesel has a lot of ideas for the film (including the questionable choice of bringing back the late Paul Walker’s Brian O’Connor), but it remains to be seen if he’ll even get a chance to bring his vision to the big screen. The latest Fast X – Part 2 update casts a cloud of uncertainty over the movie.
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A report from The Wall Street Journal details the troubled development of Fast X – Part 2, which still does not have “an approved script,” an official release date, or a full cast. The piece mentions that Universal executives “aren’t even certain they’ll make the movie unless they and the filmmakers can find a way to produce it far more economically than [Fast X],” which “barely earned a profit” despite earning $714.5 million worldwide. Apparently, Universal has said the next Fast & Furious movie won’t get off the ground unless the production budget is in the neighborhood of $200 million. For context, Fast X had a budget of $340 million.
It’s noted that currently, Fast X – Part 2 would cost around $250 million, so everyone involved is looking for ways to trim more money off the budget. Ideas being floated about include “shooting in fewer global locations and giving some cast members smaller roles,” which would allow Universal to save on salaries.
Universal’s Condition For Fast X – Part 2‘s Budget Makes Sense
Universal taking a hard stance on the Fast X – Part 2 production budget is a sound strategy from a business perspective. The studio is looking to adapt to the times by keeping expenses in check. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, it became fairly common for massive studio tentpoles to hit the $1 billion mark at the box office (Fast Five and Furious 7 are among the many 2010s blockbusters that reached this milestone). That figure isn’t as attainable in the post-pandemic landscape. There have still been 11 films this decade to pass $1 billion (including Lilo & Stitch this summer), but more often than not, movies are falling short of that figure.
It wasn’t that long ago Aquaman and Captain Marvel were headlining $1 billion solo movies, but now superhero movies aren’t as sure of a box office bet. The year’s highest-grossing comic book adaptation is Superman, which earned $615.7 million worldwide. Multiple Marvel movies over the past couple of years have lost money. Unsurprisingly, studios like Marvel are looking for ways to scale down budgets, such as targeting unknown actors to star in the upcoming X-Men reboot. Fast & Furious has found itself in the same boat; moviegoing habits have changed over the past handful of years, and Universal can no longer rely on $1 billion in ticket sales.
The last three Fast & Furious movies have all seen diminishing returns at the box office. Spinoff Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw brought in $760.7 million, F9 made $726.2 million, and Fast X grossed $714.5 million. All of these figures are nothing to sneeze at and very impressive in a vacuum, but they illustrate audiences have lost at least some interest in the series. If the films were still routinely bringing in $1 billion, then Universal probably wouldn’t have many problems approving a larger budget. But it’s become increasingly difficult to predict box office trends over the past few years.
It would be shocking if Fast X – Part 2 was scrapped entirely. Even if Fast & Furious isn’t as prolific as it used to be, this is still one of Universal’s tentpole properties, and Fast X – Part 2 can be a big hit for the studio (especially if it’s marketed as a big finale). The onus is on the filmmakers to find a way to shave some more money off the budget, and considering how dedicated Diesel is to the franchise, he’ll be successful in that goal. And fans don’t need to worry about being short-changed with Fast X – Part 2; $200 million is still a lot of money — more than enough to deliver all the spectacle audiences have come to expect from Dominic Toretto and family.
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