Ludacris Spills The Tea On 'Fast & Furious' Series Longevity

It is all about the Benjamins for Ludacris and his onscreen family!

The rapper-turned-onscreen-star has addressed the continuous appeal from moviegoers who are fed up with the "Fast & Furious" franchise following the release of the tenth installment in the main series, "Fast X." He revealed that there is an entirely normal reason the project has lasted this long and will not be backing down any time soon, and it's money.

Since the franchise's inception in 2001, the "Fast & Furious" series has been a go-to action genre for movie lovers. However, the series stunts have become increasingly bizarre, prompting fans and critics to question the ridiculousness and call for it to end.

Now, one of the franchise's lead characters, Ludacris — whose real name is Christopher Brian Bridges — has shared why they will not be giving in to the cries of the public just yet. During an appearance on Showtime's "All The Smoke" podcast, the rapper declared that the films, which include ten in the regular series and one 2017 spinoff, have earned "billions of dollars" over a two-decade span.

Speaking to hosts Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes, the "End of the Road" star said, "I hear people say all the time, "Why do y'all keep doing these movies?"' That's the dumbest f**king question in the world; I will tell you why. Because no matter what industry we in — podcasts, music, movies — it's all about a bottom line."

The "Blueberry Yum Yum" rapper stated that it was about how much was spent compared to how much was made, adding dramatically, "We're making billions of f**king dollars." After saying that he was "not trying to brag," Luda — as fans fondly call him — went on to clarify:

"When some of y'all keep saying, "Why do y'all keep shooting these movies?" Let me tell you why. Because if you spend 200 million and you make a billion, who the f*ck is you gonna tell to stop shooting movies when you're making $800 million?"

The "One Minute Man" artist wrapped up by encouraging viewers to "stop asking that godd**n question." The record producer's point about the franchise's profit margin can be seen in the recent success of "Fast X," which raked in a whopping $319 million for its opening weekend.

Per The Blast, that figure stumps its previous record of $70 million for "F9: The Fast Saga," which premiered in June 2021. While we wait to see what "Fast X" will ultimately rake in, it is worth noting that the action series peaked in 2015 following the release of "Furious 7," grossing $1.515 billion worldwide.

On the flip side, the franchise's rating has continued to drop, with its latest installment earning 54% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, while "F9" was rated 59%. Again, "Furious 7" comes out on top with a relatively high critics score of 81%.

Following her father, Paul Walker's tragic death in 2013, Meadow became the latest individual to become part of the "Fast & Furious" family. The only daughter of the beloved actor joined the franchise as an air hostess who helps Jakob Toretto and "little B" escape from an airplane in  'Fast X.'

With that development, three of the series' most significant leads — Vin Diesel, Jordana Brewster, and Michelle Rodriguez — had more than enough to discuss during the 2023 Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project [CTAOP] Block Party. Speaking enthusiastically about seeing the 24-year-old on set, Diesel expressed:

"It did something to my soul to see her want to honor her father and to contribute in her way to his life's work….It meant everything."

While gushing about the model's talents, Brewster claimed Meadow was now "woven into the fabric forever." The 43-year-old further pointed out that it was "inspiring" to see Paul's daughter working "her butt off" on set. Before that, Rodriguez had focused on her late friend — who played Brian O'Conner, detailing:

"It's everything to us because [Paul's] memory is never going to die within the franchise, so as long as we're doing it, we have to maintain that, [keeping his] energy alive."