It looks like Fast X is still making a splash internationally, as while it didn’t beat the previous entry domestically, it has revved up quite a bit of momentum at the global box office. It highlights that some franchises may face their own slowdown but that isn’t always the case for every single market, especially with how some viewed the international development in Eastern markets for MArvel Studios’ more sci-fi-oriented filmmaking in the last few years.
Still, Fast X has pulled in $318.9M worldwide, which is a good start even if it only pulled in $67.5M domestically. The international bow makes it the second largest release of the year with The Super Mario Bros. Movie still holding on to the top spot at $377M. Though, it is the third-highest opening for a Fast and Furious film. Still, it had the biggest international opening of any film so far.
The film actually had an impressive opening in China at $78.3M, which after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 also surprised might be a hopeful sign that the market is warming up to external films again. Though domestically, the film received a B+ CinemaScore, which commonly hints at a more positive but mixed reception and it is a lower opening than F9 during the pandemic.
There is, however, one major issue this film is going to face and that is its hefty production budget. While during the pandemic many film budgets have spiraled out of control with the old $200M now hovering around $250M, Fast X has a bit of a bigger challenge ahead. Even with a massive opening this year, the film has to make quite a bit of cash due to costing $340M.
That means, the film would have to make at least $640M just to cover its production budget and potentially around $850M to be considered profitable. while its international legs could be a factor, it’s still a long way to know if this film was worth its investment. To put it in perspective, the film costs more than Avengers: Infinity War and 10M less than Avatar: The Way of Water. So, the second weekend will be vital to see how far the franchise’s engine truly will run.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter, The Wrap via The Direct
