Fast X Box Office Suggests It's Time For Dom And The Fast Family To Wrap It Up

The summer moviegoing season is officially upon us now that "Fast X" brought the "Fast & Furious" franchise back to the big screen, with this latest entry serving as the beginning of the end for Dom and the Fast Family. And given the movie's performance in theaters on its opening weekend, it seems like that's probably in Universal's best interests. We'll get into the "why" in a moment but, first, let's break down the numbers, shall we?

"Fast X" made a lot of money, taking in a decent $67.5 million domestically, but a massive $251.3 million internationally, per The Numbers. That ranks as the second-biggest global debut for 2023 to date, just behind "The Super Mario Bros. Movie," which was also released by Universal Pictures. On that note, "Mario" added another $9.8 million domestically this weekend ($1.23 billion worldwide). Somewhat amazingly, director Louis Leterrier's "Fast" flick made even more in China than it did in North America, debuting at $78.3 million in the country. That's particularly remarkable given how few American movies have broke through in China since the pandemic began.

This follows recent patterns for the franchise, with "Fast & Furious" playing bigger overseas while it diminishes Stateside. For reference, "F9" ($726.2 million worldwide) had a 23.8%/76.2% domestic/international split, while "The Fate of the Furious" ($1.23 billion worldwide) had a pretty astonishing 18.3%/81.7% split. So this is, in some ways, par for the course. That having been said, the financial realities for Universal still are what they are, and it all comes back to the budget.

These movies have been pretty expensive to make ever since "Fast Five" turned them into global action films, rather than focused on street racing with a side of crime. But "Fast X" broke the mold, carrying a whopping $340 million budget (before marketing). That makes it one of the most expensive movies ever made — and it didn't have one of the biggest opening weekends ever to match. Unfortunately for Universal, even if this movie legs out in a best-case scenario finishing around $800 million worldwide, that still won't be enough for it to turn a profit. Particularly because studios see even less money from ticket sales in China.

Granted, some of that budget inflation can be attributed to pandemic difficulties, as well as Letterier replacing Justin Lin mere weeks into filming. Be that as it may, the bigger problem is the whopping cast that all need big paychecks to keep the wheels on the tracks. Adding star power like Jason Momoa doesn't come cheap, and the likes of Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, and the rest of the core ensemble need to be paid. There's very little wiggle room there, and a globe-trotting action film can only be made so cheaply outside of what the cast demands.

This is to say, "Fast & Furious 11" pretty much needs to be the end of the main series, because the financials as they exist are pretty much unsustainable. Sure, spin-offs like "Hobbs & Shaw" can continue to happen, but the core franchise has to bring it in for a landing. That's nothing to cry about though, as more than 20 years and $7 billion at the box office is remarkable. Now? It's victory lap time.

Meanwhile, Marvel's "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" managed to hold quite well in its third weekend, taking in another $31.9 million, representing a 48% drop. That's an excellent hold, particularly in light of the major competition. James Gunn's film has now earned $659.1 million worldwide, and seems like it will be an unmitigated success that Marvel Studios sorely needed after "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania." Will it top "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" ($869 million)? Probably not, but that doesn't mean this is anything less than an excellent result.

Rounding out the top five were "Book Club: The Next Chapter" ($3 million) and "Evil Dead Rise" ($2.37 million). Looking ahead, we've got a downright jam-packed weekend coming up, with Disney's live-action "The Little Mermaid" set to take the top spot away from "Fast X." We've also got Gerard Butler's "Kandahar," Bert Kreischer's comedy "The Machine," and Lionsgate's comedy "About My Father" starring Robert De Niro. It's unlikely all of them will succeed, but we'll see what the moviegoing public has to say about it.

Top ten movies at the box office May 19 – 21, 2023.

1. "Fast X" – $67.5 million

2. "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" – $31.9 million

3. "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" – $9.8 million

4. "Book Club: The Next Chapter" – $3 million

5. "Evil Dead Rise" – $2.37 million

6. "John Wick: Chapter 4" – $1.33 million

7. "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret." – $1.32 million

8. "Hypnotic" – $825,000

9. "Blackberry" – $525,000

10. "Love Again" – $400,000