For the studio, Fast 8 stands on its own as being “an extraordinary result.”
“Each one of these films has its own momentum,” said Nick Carpou, Universal’s president of domestic distribution. Beyond Johnson, Diesel, Mirren, and Theron, The Fate of the Furious brings back franchise veterans Kurt Russell, Ludacris, Tyrese Gibson, Jason Statham, and Michelle Rodriguez. “There is no market that hasn’t had a strong reception,” said Duncan Clark, Universal’s president of international distribution. Despite the rising costs, the film remains on pace to top $1 billion worldwide, making more sequels a certainty. Both stars steered clear of each other at the picture’s New York premiere and Diesel’s attempt to brush aside the reports of a beef between the actors left something to be desired. “Whatever culture, whatever language, whatever country, we seem to have found a home.” The China opening alone brought in a record $190 million followed by $17.8 million from Mexico and $17 million from the UK and Ireland. Reviews were also weaker. This time, there wasn’t the same emotional resonance. There are important reasons for the fall off. If the figures hold, it will just inch past the previous record holder, Star Wars: The Force Awakens which launched to $529 million in December of 2015 without China. The eighth installment in the Fast and the Furious is on the path to becoming the biggest worldwide debut of all time, besting both Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Jurassic World. Variety’s Owen Glieberman, for instance, praised the picture as a “dazzling action spectacle.” Audiences agreed, handing “The Fate of the Furious” an A CinemaScore. The previous record holder was Jurassic World with $316.7 million. Universal didn’t provide a budget, but sources peg the cost at $250 million, making it the most expensive chapter in the series. “There are factors from one film to the next that make them unique and certainly there were unique factors with Furious 7.” The Fate of the Furious” has many of the returning stars like Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese and Ludacris, but has added some new elements behind the camera in director F. For all the latest Entertainment News, download Indian Express App now
© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd Gary Gray and in front of the camera with Charlize Theron. Domestically, there are indications that a franchise centered on muscle cars and physics-defying stunts, has crested. The studio has not released an official production budget, but it is reported to be in the pricey $250 million range. IndieWire’s David Ehrlich labeled the film the worst of the series, while the Los Angeles Times’ Justin Chang argued the franchise had jumped the shark, or in this case, the nuclear submarine. 2017-04-17T10:19:20+00:00″>
Published:April 17, 2017 10:19 am

Fast and Furious 8: If the figures hold, it will just inch past the previous record holder, Star Wars: The Force Awakens which launched to 9 million in December of 2015 without China. That’s not to say there weren’t some loud advocates. Furious 7 served as a memorial of sorts to Paul Walker, the franchise star whose 2013 death in a car accident shattered his co-stars and many fans. Universal Pictures on Sunday estimated that The Fate of the Furious’ would earn a record $532.5 million worldwide over the holiday weekend, thanks to a particularly robust showing in 63 territories, including China. The Fate of the Furious continues the franchise without Walker, adding in series newcomers such as Charlize Theron and Helen Mirren.’
Then there was the off-screen drama. This film had to contend with reports of off-screen tension between Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson that undermined one of the franchise’s key selling points — that these films are celebrations of family and brotherhood. The film broke the record for biggest international weekend ever, with $432.3 million. Audiences were 58 percent male, 50 percent under the age of 25 and diverse (41 percent were Caucasian, 26 percent Hispanic and 19 percent African American). Also Read: Fast and Furious 8 box office collection day 3: Vin Diesel action flick races to top slot
The $100.2 million is slightly below analyst expectations for the film. However, an A Cinema Score from exit polls suggest that it will have sufficient staying power. The film follows the crew as they grapple with Diesel’s betrayal and alliance with a mysterious hacker (Theron). An estimated $100.2 million of the global total comes from 4,310 North American theaters — a second best for the franchise and enough to easily top the domestic charts, but well below the $147.2 million opening of Furious 7 in 2015.