As Universal’s Fast X races its way into global theaters this Friday, it is expected to unseat Disney’s heavyweight, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 for the top spot. But not so easily.
Engines Roar, Stars Align: ‘Fast X’ to ‘Battle Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ for Box Office Supremacy This Weekend
BY Henry-Damian Justice
May 20, 2023
3:06 pm
Buckle up for arguably the most thrilling journey of the year! Starring some new faces –Jason Momoa as the villain and Louis Leterrier at the helm – the latest addition to the Fast and Furious family, Fast X, hit theaters this Friday bringing with it a path of burned rubber, spare parts, and box office upsets.
The tenth mainline installment of the franchise –if we all agree to sideline Hobbs & Shaw (2019) – is projected to open with figures hovering around $260 million ($60 million domestic and $220 million international) with high-end estimates pushing that figure to $280 million. This is hardly surprising given that F9 (2021), its predecessor, began with roughly $70 million domestically despite COVID-19 limitations severely hindering ticket sales. For any competition, this, and the fact that Fast X earned $7.5 million in domestic previews on Thursday should be of concern. The aforementioned figure and more puts it in pole position to dethrone James Gunn’s Marvel finale, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, as the weekend top dog in the box office both domestically and internationally.
But as is already common knowledge, if any movie can prove a stubborn tick to remove, it is Marvel flicks. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 carries on that legacy with the terrific legs it has shown going into weekend three. The cosmic adventure film saw a 47% fall in its second weekend, strong legs not witnessed since Black Panther (2018).
And although it had virtually no rivals during this time frame, strong word-of-mouth played tremendously in its favor –something Fast X would undoubtedly hope for as another Disney flick, The Little Mermaid, seeks to drown its dreams as well as global audiences next week.
Fast X was released May 19 in cinemas worldwide!
Run-time: 2 hours, 21 minutes.
Distribution Company: Universal Pictures
Director: Louis Leterrier
Cast: Vin Diesel, Jason Momoa, Jason Statham, Tyrese Gibson, Michelle Rodriguez, Rita Moreno, John Cena, Alan Ritchson, Brie Larson, Charlize Theron, Ludacris.