'Fast X' Speeds To $319 Million For Global Opening Weekend Box Office

It was an expected victory for "Fast X" over the weekend, and the 10th entry in the mainline "Fast and Furious" film franchise dominated the weekend. And while domestic numbers were unquestionably soft at about $67 million, the film continues to be a powerhouse at the overseas box office, bringing $319 million for its opening weekend, per figures from Deadline.

"Fast X" actually opened lower domestically than "F9: The Fast Saga" in June 2021. "F9" had a domestic opening weekend of about $70 million for its first weekend of release. The film finished with $173 million domestically and about $726 million worldwide. That was still during the global pandemic when the theatrical box office was recovering. 2017's "The Fate of the Furious" made $226 million domestically and another $1 billion+ overseas for a worldwide total of $1.236 billion. The franchise saw its box office powers peak in 2015 with the release of "Furious 7," grossing $353 million domestically and $1.515 billion worldwide.

The "Fast and Furious" franchise has also seen diminishing reviews from critics since the seventh entry. "Fast X" received a 54% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, while "F9" was rated 59% and "The Fate of the Furious" was rated 67%. "Furious 7" received a pretty high critics score at 81%. One thing "Fast X" does have working in its favor is a high audience score of 86%. This has generally been a franchise where audiences like the films more than the critics, but the domestic numbers are trending downwards. It remains to be seen if its international ticket sales can still push the franchise close to or past the $1 billion mark again.

Elsewhere, "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" maintained a stronghold for its third weekend, dropping only 48.4 percent to bring in another $31.9 million. The Marvel Studios threequel's domestic total currently stands at $266 million and is climbing, with about $659 million worldwide, per figures from Box Office Mojo. The film should easily surpass the box office totals of the original "Guardians of the Galaxy" at $333 million domestically and $773 million worldwide. It will be interesting to see if it can match the $389 million domestically and $863 million worldwide of "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2."

Coming at No. 3 over the weekend was Universal and Illumination's Nintendo adaptation, "The Super Mario Bros. Movie," at $9.8 million. The film now costs $549 million domestically and $1.229 billion worldwide. Even with its theatrical box office run slowing down and the film releasing on premium Video on Demand over the weekend, it is still selling tickets. It still stands as the biggest movie release of 2023.

"Fast X" stars Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Oscar-winner Charlize Theron, Jason Momoa, Jason Statham, and Oscar winner Brie Larson. Louis Leterrier takes over as director of the sequel from Justin Lin, who co-wrote the script. As noted by Variety, Vin Diesel recently teased at the film's premiere in Rome that "Fast X" could be the start of a three-film conclusion to the franchise. However, Universal Pictures has not yet confirmed the news. "Fast & Furious 11" is currently in the works.