It has been a relatively slow couple of weeks at the box office, but Universal is getting ready to pump some life into it in a big, loud, fast way.The Fate of the Furious, the eighth installment of the very reliable, over-the-top action franchise is going to be racing into theaters and, if the projections are anywhere near correct, it is going to easily be one of the biggest hits of 2017 so far. In fact, it could even top the opening weekend worldwide total ofFurious 7, which went on to gross more than $1.5 billion.
According toDeadline,The Fate of the Furiousis currently projected for an opening weekend haul of $375 million on the low end, but could earn as much as $440 million. WhenFurious 7was released in 2015, it brought in $397 million, soThe Fate of the Furioushas a very good chance of beating that. Some of that could have to do with the fact that the early buzz coming out ofCinemaConrecently was very positive and made it seem like this is very much the movie that everyone is expecting and hoping it will be. Here is the official synopsis for the movie.
“Now that Dom andLettyare on their honeymoon and Brian and Mia have retired from the game and the rest of the crew has been exonerated the globetrotting team has found a semblance of a normal life. But when a mysterious woman (Charlize Theron) seduces Dom into the world of crime he can’t seem to escape and a betrayal of those closest to him, they will face trials that will test them as never before. From the shores of Cuba and the streets of New York City to the icy plains off the arctic Barents Sea, our elite force will crisscross the globe to stop an anarchist from unleashing chaos on theworld’s stage…and to bring home the man who made them a family.”
ShouldThe Fate of the Furiousmanage to eclipse the $397 million opening weekend thatFurious 7managed a couple of years ago, it will become Universal’s second-biggestopening weekendever. The only movie that would be ahead of it isJurassic World, which put up an insane $525 million worldwide opening. Currently,The Fate of the Furiousis holding a fairly solid 79 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. That is actually really good when you consider that this is the eighth movie in an unrealistic franchise that centers onVin Dieseldrinking Corona in between doing crazy stunts. With money like this coming in, it is no wonder that Universal is planning to take theFast & Furious franchiseup through at least ten movies.
The cast forFast 8includesVin Diesel,Dwayne Johnson,Jason Statham,Michelle Rodriguez,Tyrese Gibson,Chris “Ludacris” Bridges,Nathalie Emmanuel,Elsa Pataky,Kurt Russell,Charlize Theron,Scott Eastwoodand,Helen Mirren. The movie is directed byF. Gary Gray, who most recently directedStraight Outta Compton.The Fate of the Furiousis set for release on April 14.
