‘Fast And Furious 9’ Set To Break Pandemic Record Since 2019

Fresh off recording the biggest opening at the box office since the pandemic era began, F9: The Last Saga is on pace to hit the $500 million mark globally, a milestone it’s set to hit on Monday as it becomes the first Hollywood movie to do so since 2019.

Deadline reports F9 is expected to add another $32.9 million over the Fourth of July weekend, raising its total to a sizable $126 million domestically. Meanwhile, the film’s overseas total is at $374 million in 50 offshore markets.

The news arrives just a week after F9brought in an estimated $70 million in its North America opening this weekend, giving the Universal film the largest debut at the box office since 2019’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

Last December, Universal’s move to shelve the film, which was originally scheduled for a May 2020 release, was an unpopular one at the time.

“[Theaters] were quite upset with us because they thought that we were overreacting. Even people inside the company thought that we were a little crazy for doing it,” Donna Langley, chairwoman of Universal’s filmed entertainment group, told CNN Business in December. “But we just felt that it was better to sort of plan for the worst and hope for the best.”

F9 stars Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Ludacris, Tyrese Gibson, John Cena, Kurt Russell, Charlize Theron, Jordana Brewster, Helen Mirren, Nathalie Emmanuel, Sung Kang, and Michael Rooker. Justin Lin, who has helmed several films for the Fast and Furious franchise, is the director.