The latest installment of the "Fast and Furious" franchise, "Fast X," has raced to the top of the box office, knocking "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" out of first place. The film earned $67.5 million in ticket sales from 4,046 North American theaters. While this is on the lower end of openings for the series, the film made up for it overseas, opening in 84 markets and earning an estimated $251.4 million, with China being the top market with $78.3 million. The film's global debut reached $319 million, making it the third biggest of the franchise.
Directed by Louis Leterrier, "Fast X" brought back the familiar crew including Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson and Jordana Brewster, and added several newcomers, like Brie Larson, Rita Moreno, and a villain played by Jason Momoa. The film cost a reported $340 million to produce, not including marketing.
Reviews for "Fast X" were mixed, with the film receiving a 54% on Rotten Tomatoes. AP’s Mark Kennedy wrote in his review that, “It has become almost camp, as if it breathed in too much of its own fumes” and that it’s also “monstrously silly and stupidly entertaining.” According to exit polls, audiences were 29% Caucasian, 29% Hispanic, and 21% Black, and 58% were between the ages of 18 and 34. They gave the film a B+ CinemaScore.
Disney and Marvel's " Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 " made an estimated $32 million in North America in its third weekend, taking second place. Universal's "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" came in third place, earning an additional $9.8 million in North America and bringing its domestic total to $549.3 million.
Universal has continued its success at the box office with hits like "Cocaine Bear" and "M3GAN." Later this summer, on July 21, they'll release Christopher Nolan's " Oppenheimer." However, "Fast X" will face competition from Disney's live-action "The Little Mermaid" and other crowd-pleasers hoping to catch a Memorial Day weekend audience in the upcoming weeks.