Vin Diesel has already revealed that plans are moving ahead to split the original double-ending of the Fast and Furious franchise into a trio of movies, but whether that will still happen is yet to be seen. Fast X has certainly pulled in a decent box office result in principle, but that doesn’t mean it has been pedal to the metal all the way for the high-octane series as it has struggled to gain traction on the domestic front.
Internationally, Fast X has delivered with its current box office standing at just under $480 million, but when it comes to its domestic haul it has been much less than expected, especially considering the budget and hype around it. The film has taken $129 million in the U.S. but is now seeing its earning potential fade away very quickly compared to other movies in the franchise. That means that it is unlikely Fast X will surpass F9, which ended its run on around $175 million domestically and $700 worldwide. Considering that movie landed when the Covid pandemic was still causing cinemas major issues, and the huge reported budget of $350 million, Fast X has been very close to disastrous financially.
However, the film has not been a complete bomb and will pick up plenty additional profit from its physical and digital home releases, but it does provide something of a cautionary tale when it comes to Fast 11’s spending and the potential release of Fast 12, which could begin to see interest in the franchise waning again.
Why Has Fast X Not Dominated The Box Office?
Like many Marvel Studio movies, Fast X did most of its damage in the opening weekend, immediately seeing a 67% drop in its second week and similar drops subsequently. While there is no end of star power in the movie, as well as Mission: Impossible level stunts, major character deaths and a cliffhanger ending, the film’s biggest problem is that after ten movies there is just not much more that it can actually give that hasn’t been seen before – even it this time around it is all a little more elaborate.
Jason Momoa’s appearance has proven to be one of the most talked about aspects of the movie, but that alone cannot deliver a $1 billion box office success. Although Fast X also pulled out some big character returns in an appearance by Gal Gadot and the return of Dwayne Johnson’s Hobbs in the final moments, as Black Adam proved, a big post credits cameo doesn’t necessarily drive audiences into theaters. In addition to this, the movie has arrived in one of the busiest years the box office has seen in several years, which has forced some people to choose carefully which movies to spend their money on.
Regardless, Fast 11 is coming and there is nothing going to stop that, but it seems likely that Universal will be looking to keep a closer eye on the budget of the film, as if the movie sees any kind of drop in revenue from Fast X, then the franchise’s finale could end up hitting a dead end rather than an open highway.