“F9” opened this weekend to a record $70M, topping the previous highest debut of $48.4M by “A Quiet Place II” four weeks ago. The movie debuted internationally on May 19 and has now grossed more than $400M globally.
The record-breaking ninth installment of the “Fast & Furious” franchise starring franchise regulars Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez opened in 4,179 theatres with no concurrent digital release, making it the widest opening for a film since Disney’s “Onward” in March 2020 and the biggest opening since “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” in December 2019.
“We couldn’t be more gratified to see that the audience embraced the ‘Fast’ family and came out to see ‘F9’ in tremendous numbers,” said Jim Orr, head of distribution for Universal. “The debut this weekend has really ignited the domestic box office and set it on a tremendous path for the rest of the year.”
Having been delayed multiple times, “F9” seems to have finally debuted at a very fitting time for North America, welcoming audiences who now feel more comfortable going to theaters with a loud, action-packed immersive experience.
“It’s the perfect intersection of growing consumer confidence and vaccinations in North America, with movies that have already been released creating momentum,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore. “I don’t think you could have imagined a better scenario for the industry, with a few speed bumps in there. With ‘Furious 9’ being really the first summer blockbuster in two years.”
“A Quiet Place” comes in as a very distant second with $6.2M this week (over $136M gross since it’s initial release) and “The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard” rounding out this week’s top 3 with $4.88M
Much-anticipated releases in the coming weeks include Disney and Marvel’s “Black Widow” and Warner Bros.’ “The Suicide Squad,” both with simultaneous streaming releases (“Black Widow” on Disney+ with a premium, and “The Suicide Squad” on HBOMax for a limited time.)