The Fast & Furious series put the pedal to the metal with its F9 sequel, which shattered pandemic-era box office records in its first weekend.
The Vin Diesel–starring sequel earned a stunning $70 million at the North American box office, according to Variety.
The action film seems to have arrived at an ideal time, as Americans continue to get vaccinated against the novel coronavirus and many theaters have reopened across the US.
High octane: The Fast & Furious sequel F9 zoomed to a new pandemic record with a $70 million North American opening, according to Variety
‘The bold decision we made to move F9 back a year was absolutely spot on,’ said Universal’s President of Domestic Distribution Jim Orr. ‘Our release has ignited the domestic box office and it’s setting the market for a great summer.’
The most recent pandemic record was set by the science fiction/horror film A Quiet Place Part II, which earned $48.3 million in its opening weekend.
Crowds for F9 were reportedly diverse, suggesting a broad appeal for the long-running franchise.
Although 60 percent of viewers were male, 37 percent were Hispanic, while 35 percent were white, 16 percent were Black and eight percent were Asian.
The film also had broad appeal among younger moviegoers, with just over half of viewers being under 25.
Crowd pleaser: Crowds for F9 were reportedly diverse, suggesting a broad appeal for the long-running franchise. Hispanic viewers made up 37 percent of the audience, while 35 percent were white, 16 percent were Black and eight percent were Asian
Nowhere close: Although F9’s $70 million opening is a significant dip from Furious 7’s series high opening weekend of $147.2 million
Although F9’s $70 million opening is a significant dip from Furious 7’s series high opening weekend of $147.2 million, it still managed to beat the pre-pandemic opening for the spin-off Hobbs & Shaw, which earned $60 million in its opening weekend.
F9 also came in behind the previous film in the main series, The Fate Of The Furious, which generated $98 million its first weekend amid lackluster reviews.
David A. Gross, head of the movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research, described F9’s opening weekend as ‘an excellent opening in an extraordinary series.’
‘During the last month, moviegoing has shown flashes of real strength, including this weekend and A Quiet Place 2, but it has also been tentative,’ he told Variety. ‘F9 and A Quiet Place 2 are the cleanest reads of what the business can do now — both strong series and pure theatrical releases/no streaming.’
Only in theaters: F9 joined A Quiet Place Part II as recent films that did well at the box office, possibly because they weren’t yet available to rent online; still from A Quiet Place Part II
By contrast, other films with strong box office potential likely saw their earnings at least partially eaten away by the availability to stream them online at the same time.
Warner Bros. has been releasing some of its high-profile films, including Godzilla Vs. Kong and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It for free to subscribers of its HBO Max streaming service, which likely prevented some people from spending money to see the films in theaters.
Similarly, Disney allowed Disney+ subscribers to view its 101 Dalmatians prequel Cruella and its computer-animated film Raya And The Last Dragon at home, though they had to pay $30 to access the film or subscriber to a more expensive tier of the service.
Still, that might be a bargain for some families, especially when factoring in the price of parking and snacks along with multiple tickets.
Unlike those films, recent record breakers like F9 and A Quiet Place Part II have only been available in theaters initially, so anyone who wasn’t willing to wait 45 days for digital releases would have to buy a ticket to a theater.
Making bank: In an unusual move, F9 was released a month early in some international markets, allowing it to amass an additional $335 million
In an unusual move, F9 was released a month early in some international markets, allowing it to amass an additional $335 million.
However, since the film was produced prior to the pandemic and cost a similar amount to previous installments, it will need to continue doing well at the box office and later digitally in order to break even.
A Quiet Place Part II took the second place spot over the weekend with a respectable $6.2 million, for a five-week total of $136.4 million domestically.
The Emily Blunt–starring sequel, which was again written and directed by her husband John Krasinski — who also has a cameo — has received strong review from critics.
Respectable: A Quiet Place Part II came in second with $6.2 million, while The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard earned $4.875 in its third week; still from The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard
The sequel The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard, which topped the box office last week, dropped to number three with $4.875 million.
Those looking for more family-friendly fare flocked to Peter Rabbit 2, which was delayed by the pandemic.
It earned $4.85 million in its third week in theaters.
Families also had the option of the Emma Stone–starring Cruella, which earned $3.73 million after three weeks in theaters and available for rental on Disney+.
For the kids: Those looking for more family-friendly fare flocked to Peter Rabbit 2, which earned $4.85 million after being delayed by the pandemic
Going strong: Families also had the option of the Emma Stone–starring Cruella, which earned $3.73 million after three weeks in theaters and available for rental on Disney+
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It brought in a solid $2.92 million, for a domestic total of $59.1 million.
Despite strong reviews, the musical In The Heights fared poorly in theaters compared to expectations. It grossed $2.23 million this weekend after being yanked from more than 1,000 theaters across North America.
The animated film Spirits Untamed brought in $1.03 million in business, while the poorly reviewed inspirational drama 12 Mighty Orphans only earned $591,900.
Rounding out the top 10 was the action film Nobody, starring Breaking Bad’s Bob Odenkirk, which earned an extra $560,000 after 14 weeks in theaters.
Disappointing: Despite strong reviews, the musical In The Heights fared poorly in theaters compared to expectations. It grossed $2.23 million this weekend after being yanked from more than 1,000 theaters across North America