As of Wednesday’s box office, “F9” has made $172.6 million
domestically and $528 million internationally, pushing it over the $700 million
mark. The last film to make that much? “Jumanji: The Next Level,” which opened
in December 2019.
“F9” in particular had a record-breaking May opening in
China, crossing $200 million there and becoming the only Hollywood film to
cross that mark in China since Universal released the “Fast & Furious”
spinoff “Hobbs & Shaw.” Only 11 Hollywood films in the last five years,
including three in the “Fast” franchise, have performed as strongly.
“F9” has also narrowly beaten out the Chinese blockbuster
“Detective Chinatown 3,” which has made $685 million worldwide and opened to a
phenomenal $398 million in China alone.
On the global box office stage, it also lags behind the
Chinese comedy “Hi, Mom.” That movie became the second-highest grossing box
office hit in China ever, behind only “Wolf Warrior 2,” and it has since made
$822 million worldwide. But neither film has received a domestic release.
“F9” was the first major blockbuster from Universal released
under a new theatrical window agreement with AMC and Cinemark guaranteeing 17
days of theatrical exclusivity for films and 31 days for any film that opens to
over $50 million in North America.
At CinemaCon this week, “F9” has been touted by leading
exhibitors and theater representatives as an example of the importance of
putting films exclusively in theaters first instead of the day-and-date
experiments that many studios have attempted during the pandemic.
“F9” is directed by Justin Lin and stars Vin Diesel
alongside the franchise’s newcomer John Cena. It first opened in American
theaters on June 25 from Universal.