“The Fate Of The Furious” Had The Biggest Box Office Debut Ever

1. The Fate of the Furious, the eighth movie in the Fast and Furious franchise, opened domestically with a respectable $100.2 million — and internationally with an astronomical $432.3 million.

(Both figures are estimates.)

2. That $532.5 million total worldwide gives The Fate of the Furious the biggest global box office debut of all time, surpassing Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ $529 million debut in 2015.

The Fate of the Furious’ international earnings accounted for more than 81% of its global box office earnings, a wildly lopsided figure even considering how vital foreign markets have become to Hollywood.

3. The Fate of the Furious has already grossed more than the first four Fast and Furious movies made during their entire theatrical run.

4. But its domestic debut was no match for Furious 7’s $147 million opening in 2015. That was the last movie in the franchise to star Paul Walker, who died while the film was still in production.

The Fate of the Furious also just scraped past Fast & Furious 6’s $97.4 million domestic opening weekend, indicating that for audiences in the US and Canada, enthusiasm for the franchise may be cooling just a bit.

5. Internationally, the franchise shows no signs of slowing. The Fate of the Furious earned the all-time biggest debut in 17 territories, including Argentina, Colombia, Egypt, Indonesia, Israel, Lebanon, Malaysia, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Portugal, South Africa, Venezuela, and Vietnam.

6. Most impressively, the movie earned an estimated $190 million in China — beating the opening weekend record of its predecessor, Furious 7.

Chinese distributors keep a larger proportion of box office returns than other international markets, but The Fate of the Furious’ success there is another indication that China is expected to surpass the US and Canada as the biggest theatrical market within as early as the next decade. The country has become central to Hollywood’s ability to make money on its biggest blockbusters.

7. The ninth Fast and Furious movie, meanwhile, is scheduled to open on April 19, 2019 — and the tenth film will debut on April 2, 2021. With precious few franchises in its stable, Universal Pictures will likely keep filling the tank on this series for the foreseeable future.