‘FURIOUS’ FRANCHISE SHIFTS INTO OVERDRIVE
It’s far from the end of the road for Dom Toretto and Co.
The Fate of the Furious hurtles into theaters Friday, revving up a new chapter of a planned trilogy in the multibillion-dollar Fast
and Furious franchise. This latest entry flips the script on steadfast ex-con Dom (Vin Diesel), who is blackmailed into working for cyberterrorist Cipher (Charlize Theron) and betrays his wife, Letty (Michelle Rodriguez), and rubber-burning brethren (played by Dwayne Johnson, Tyrese Gibson and Chris “Ludacris” Bridges).
Diesel teased plans for the ninth and 10th Furious movies at
Fate’s surprise CinemaCon premiere last month, later confirming to USA TODAY that he starts shooting the next installment early next year.
At the end of Fate, “to say that family is back together is assumed, and yet, there are a lot of layers going on,” Diesel says. “Building the mythology to stretch out over two more films is the arduous task. That takes countless hours gaming it all out with so many different characters. ... The whole mythology of it is very George Lucas, in terms of having to work it out.”
2015’s Furious 7 closed the book on ex-cop-turned-street-racer Brian O’Conner, following the death of series star Paul Walker in a car crash in 2013. In turn, Fate introduces characters played by Theron, Helen Mirren and Scott Eastwood, while elevating the roles of Johnson, Jason Statham and Kurt Russell.
“What they’re building toward is bringing in these veteran actors who have these really large fan bases and giving them some really fun, juicy roles,” says Erik Davis, managing editor of Fandango.com and Movies.com.
Dom’s dark streak could also factor prominently into the planned trilogy. “What he’s blackmailed with becomes a key aspect of the film and I think it’ll also be a key aspect of the next two,” Davis adds. “It’s going to introduce an element to these Fast and Fu
rious movies that can not only bring in more conflict and humor, but also leans heavily into this theme of family that they love to promote throughout the series.”
But will moviegoers buckle up for two more movies after Fate?
Furious 7 raced to a franchisebest opening weekend of $147.2 million domestically, on its way to more than $1.5 billion worldwide. Fate is predicted to start with $115 million, although it should still match the last movie’s $353 million stateside haul at the end of its theatrical run, says Jeff Bock, box-office analyst at Exhibitor Relations.
Furious 7 “got a pretty big bump from the whole Paul Walker situation and that was a pretty poignant film for a lot of fans,” Bock says. This entry could benefit from the hinted real-life feud between Diesel and Johnson, which “keeps (the movie) newsworthy, whether it’s real or not.”
And even while some have dismissed Fate as “the worst Fast
and Furious ever,” with glaring signs of “franchise exhaustion,” the franchise has never relied on critics. ( Fate has 67% “fresh” reviews on aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes, with an average rating of 54% positive for the previous seven installments.)
Like the James Bond 007 movies, “this is a series that has the possibility to go on for 30 years even if Vin Diesel called it quits,” Bock says. “When we get to part eight, part nine, part 10, I don’t think anyone is looking at reviews anymore. This is more of the same: You either like fast cars, hot women and muscle guys at this point, or you don’t.”