'Fate of the Furious' Makes Global Box Office History on Opening Weekend
When a teenage version of myself first saw the original "The Fast and The Furious" back in 2001, I never could have imagined the street racing film featuring lots of neon lights, nitrous oxide and a bunch of unknown actors would eventually become one of the most successful movie franchises in Hollywood history.
But as the years have gone on, the series has only gotten bigger, more over the top and, most of all, more profitable. In fact, last weekend's opening of "The Fate of the Furious" made history with the highest global opening box office ever. With an astonishing $532 million gross over its first three days, that's more than the hugely anticipated "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," "Jurassic World" or any other film from Hollywood's most established franchises.
While the recent box office success is not surprising to anyone who's followed the trajectory of the series, I'm not sure if anyone could have predicted just how big the eighth film's historic opening weekend would be. Coming as a shock to no one, Vin Diesel has already confirmed at least two more "Furious" movies set to release in 2019 and 2021, and based on box office returns I'd expect plenty more to come after that.
While some auto enthusiasts I've spoken to have lost interest in the series as its moved further away from its street racing and car culture roots, those who dig the films should be able to enjoy the thrills for a long time to come.
At this rate our grandchildren will probably be waiting in line to see "Fast & Furious 37," and we'll be able to tell them how we remember back when the whole thing was about a bunch of street racers hijacking semi trucks to steal DVD players.
Will the next entry in the series take things even further? We'll find out in two years.
