Movie "F9: The Fast Saga," the latest installment in the Fast & Furious franchise, earned $70 million U.S. during its opening weekend in North America, the biggest film debut since 2019.
The ninth film in the action franchise starring actor Vin Diesel recorded the largest opening weekend at the box office since 2019's "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker," which opened before the COVID-19 pandemic struck.
The film also notched a bigger opening weekend than the franchise's prior release, "Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw," a spinoff which premiered to $60 million U.S. in 2019.
Although "The Fate of the Furious," the eighth film in the series, made $98 million U.S. in 2017, the numbers for "F9" are still strong, even by pre-pandemic standards.
The big North American weekend also adds to the film's already strong global haul. "F9" has now made $405 million U.S. around the world since opening internationally last month.
The summer season has had its ups and downs at the box office but the performance of "F9" is significant for an industry that's trying to get back on its feet following the COVID-19 outbreak that sent box office numbers plummeting.
The opening for "F9" is also another success for the Fast & Furious franchise, which is one of the most popular brands in all of cinema. The series has earned a cumulative total of more than $6 billion U.S. worldwide.
