‘Fast X’ tops speed; knocks ‘Guardians 3’ to second

The 10th installment in the “Fast and the Furious” franchise kicks off this weekend, beating out “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.” 3 Inch topped the list, easily taking the No. 1 spot at the box office. “Fast X” grossed $67.5 million from 4,046 theaters in North America, according to Universal Pictures estimates on Sunday.

It’s on the low end of the franchise’s opening, which peaked with the $142.2 million release of “Fast and the Furious 7,” the only film in the franchise to gross more than $100 million. “Quick X” domestic debut only ranked above the top three. The previous film, “F9,” took in $70 million in 2021.

But it’s also a series that usually makes big money internationally. As always, overseas it’s turbo-powered. “Fast X” was released in 84 markets worldwide and in more than 24,000 theaters, earning an estimated $251.4 million. The largest market was China at $78.3 million, followed by Mexico at $16.7 million. Its worldwide debut grossed $319 million — the third-highest in the franchise.

Director Louis Leterrier (he succeeded Justin Lin during production), “Fast X” brought back a familiar cast including Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson and Jordana Brewster, and Several newcomers have been added, such as Brie Larson, Rita Moreno, and a villain played by Jason Momoa. The ever-expanding cast also includes Jason Statham, Charlize Theron, Scott Peter Eastwood and Helen Mirren.

The film reportedly cost $340 million to make, not including marketing.

The beginning of the end for the $6 billion franchise, “Fast X” has received mixed reviews and currently holds a 54% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.Associated Press’s Mark Kennedy wrote in his comment That, “it almost becomes camping, as if it’s inhaling too much of its own fumes” and it’s also “very silly and stupidly entertaining.”

According to exit polls, the audience was 29 percent white, 29 percent Hispanic, 21 percent black, and 58 percent were between the ages of 18 and 34. They gave the movie a CinemaScore of B+.

In its third weekend, Disney and Marvel’s ” Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in North America earned an estimated $32 million, placing it in second place. It has now made $266.5 million domestically and $659.1 million globally.

In third place was another Universal film, “Super Mario Bros. The Movie,” now in its seventh weekend and available for VOD rental. Still, it made another $9.8 million in North America, bringing its domestic total to $549.3 million.