‘F9’ Earns Biggest Box Office Opening Since 2019

“F9: The Fast Saga,” the ninth film from the longstanding action franchise, earned an estimated $70 million during its North American debut this past weekend. The Universal film not only exceeded expectations with this massive figure, it also earned the largest box office opening of any film since 2019’s “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.” Internationally, “F9” has grossed $405 million since opening last month. The series as a whole has earned more than $6 billion worldwide.

After many delays this past year and a half, the strong box office numbers prove Universal’s decision to push back the release was the right one. “The bold decision we made to move ‘F9’ back a year was absolutely spot on,” says Jim Orr, Universal’s president of domestic distribution. “Our release has ignited the domestic box office and it’s setting the market for a great summer.”

Directed by franchise veteran Justin Lin and starring Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Charlize Theron and John Cena, “F9” sees Dom Toretto leading a quiet life off the grid with Letty and his son, little Brian. But danger is inevitable – this time appearing as a threat that forces Dom to confront the sins of his past in order to save the people he loves most. His crew joins together to stop a world-shattering plot led by the most skilled assassin and high-performance driver they’ve ever encountered: a man who also happens to be Dom’s forsaken brother.

This film earned an 84 percent audience approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with many critics noting the successfulness of this film’s action sequences. TheWrap wrote: “For audiences who want their 2021 return to the multiplex to deliver big, loud, exciting action, ‘F9’ makes the cars go fast, jump high, and generally do the impossible. It’s exhilaratingly ridiculous, yes, but it’s also ridiculously exhilarating.”

“F9” is playing in theaters now and will be available for licensing from Swank soon.