As expected, “The Fate of the Furious” came roaring out of the gate this weekend with the biggest-ever debut at the worldwide box office.
The eighth installment of the blockbuster “Fast and the Furious” earned $100.2 million at the North American box office — slightly lower than Saturday’s estimates — and $432.2 million internationally, a global haul of $532.5 million.
If those figures hold firm when the final receipts are counted on Monday, the Universal Pictures sequel will break the opening-weekend record of $529 million set in 2015 by Disney’s “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” Of course, “The Fate of the Furious” has the benefit of opening simultaneously in China, the world’s second-largest film market; “The Force Awakens” didn’t debut in that country until a couple of weeks into its global run.
Directed by F. Gary Gray (“Straight Outta Compton”), “The Fate of the Furious” rolled out this weekend in 63 markets around the globe, opening at No. 1 in each country along the way. The film earned $190 million this weekend in China, the largest three-day opening in that nation’s history.
The first seven films in the Universal action franchise, which launched in 2001, have earned a combined $3.9 billion worldwide.
Directed by F. Gary Gray (“Straight Outta Compton”), “The Fate of the Furious” stars franchise veterans Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Nathalie Emmanuel, Elsa Pataky and Kurt Russell, joined by newcomers Charlize Theron, Scott Eastwood and Helen Mirren.
Originally posted at – http://www.cbr.com/fate-of-the-furious-record-debut/
