It shouldn’t be much of a surprise, but “The Fate of the Furious,” the eighth installment in the Fast and Furious franchise raked in the dough at the box office during its opening weekend.
The first film sans superstar Paul Walker blew by “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” with an opening weekend total of $532.5 million, setting a new global debut record. “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” previously held the title with $529 million during its opening weekend.
However, much of the money pouring in didn’t come from North America, where the franchise was birthed. Foreign audiences, specifically China, contributed large portions. $192.1 million came from China alone, while the film made just $100.2 million in North America. The figure also falls short of “Furious 7,” which brought in $147.2 million in North America during its opening weekend.
Still, executives show nothing but signs of life for the franchise, which is planned to receive two more films to round out a final trilogy.
“This franchise is showing no sign of wear and tear,” Duncan Clark, Universal International Distribution Chief, told Variety. “Fate of the Furious is satisfying audiences on many different levels.”
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