'The Fate Of The Furious' Zooms To The Biggest Worldwide Opening Of All Time, Passing 'The Force Awakens'

‘The Fate Of The Furious’ Zooms To The Biggest Worldwide Opening Of All Time, Passing ‘The Force Awakens’

The Fate of the Furioussped to the top of the box office on its opening weekend, knockingStar Wars: The Force Awakensdown as the title-holder of the biggest worldwide box office opening of all time.The Fate of the Furiousmade $532.5 million in its first weekend, just beating the $529 million record earned in 2015 byStar Wars: The Force Awakens. I guess all that NOS paid off.Fate of the Furiousmay have been quick to sweep American theaters, but it turns out that China has the head start at the box office. The eighth installment of theFast and Furiousfranchise made $100.2 million of that number domestically, but over 80% of its opening weekend came from international markets, with $190 million from China alone, according toVariety.

Variety does note, however, that Chinese theaters only give studios about 25 percent of ticket sales, roughly half of what they receive in most major territories.

It’s an indicator of what a box office power the Chinese market has become, especially for adrenaline-packed blockbusters like theFast and Furiousfranchise, which counts 40 percent of its audience from China.

This isn’t the first time theFastfranchise has come close to that first place opening weekend title.Furious 7came within spitting distance in 2015, screeching to a halt before it could beatHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2.ThenJurassic WorldandStar Warsentered the race and left the rest of the 2015 blockbusters in the dust.

Diversity Pays Off in the International Box Office Race

While much of theFast and Furioussuccess is credited to the blockbuster-thirsty Chinese market, let’s not forget how the famously diverse cast appeals to the rest of the international audiences. Steeped in multi-ethnic culture of the LA racing scene where theFast and Furiousgot its start,Fate of the Furiousrecalls its Hispanic roots by beginning in Cuban setting, with characters trading Spanish-language barbs. WithVin Dieselleading a racially and gender diverse cast including new additionsHelen MirrenandCharlize Theron, as well as franchise veteransKurt Russell, Ludacris, Tyrese Gibson, Jason Statham,andMichelle Rodriguez, theFast and Furiousseries is still at the forefront of movie representation at a time that Hollywoodis much-criticizedfor “whitewashed” casting decisions.

That diversity pays off at the box office, too. The raw data backs it up: Hispanics made up 26% of the audience, African-Americans comprised 19%, and Asians accounted for 11% of ticket sales. Despite Theron’s female villain,Fate of the Furiousis still very much testosterone-targeted, with men making up 58% of ticket buyers.

But what of the one missing cast member, whose loss is still felt four years after his tragic death? Paul Walker’s absence made an impact on the critical reception ofFate of the Furious, which featuredmore tepid reviewsthan its predecessors. The off-screen feud —known as the “Candy Ass Saga”— between stars Diesel and Johnson also may have undermined the emotional heft of a franchise rooted in brotherhood and family. Those factors may ultimately impact the longevity of the film’s box office legs, and may have factored into the film’s domestic drop-off fromFurious 7’s $147.2 million box office opening (Fatetook in an estimated $100.2 million domestically).

Still, withFate of the Furiousgoing full throttle on its opening weekend, it’s unsurprising that its competition racked in much lower numbers. Domestically, two-time #1The Boss Babycame in second on $15.5 million andBeauty and the Beasttook in another $13.6 million to its $1 billion box office total.Smurfs: The Lost Villagecame in fourth andGoing in Stylefifth. OnlyGoing in Stylewas a new release, with most big films trying to avoid direct competition withFate of the Furious.

With the opening weekend’s success, this guarantees that this won’t be the last we’ll see of theFast and Furiousfranchise.Two more sequelsare already planned,a live touris set for 2018 and Hobbsmay even get his own spin-off(I hope it’s a3 Men and a Babysituation with Decker, Dom and the newest family addition). With these numbers, anything is possible.