'F9' to smash pandemic-era box office record in North America

Universal's action film F9: The Fast Saga is on track to smash pandemic-era weekend box office record in North America with an estimated 66 million U.S. dollars 3-day opening, according to The Hollywood Reporter, a top Hollywood trade publication.

The ninth installment in the Fast and Furious saga took in a huge 30 million dollars, including 7.1 million dollars in previews, on Friday from 4,179 locations in North America, reported the news outlet, noting that the tally is a single-day record for the pandemic era.

The previous weekend box office record-holder was Paramount's horror film A Quiet Place Part II, which opened last month with a 3-day total of 48.3 million dollars from 3,726 North American theaters.

Helmed by Chinese American director Justin Lin, the latest in Vin Diesel's on-going Fast Furious franchise, his ode to fast cars and faster action, is based on a script co-written by Lin and Daniel Casey, and features an all-star line of Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris Ludacris Bridges, John Cena, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jordana Brewster, Sung Kang, and others.

F9: The Fast Saga is widely considered as a test for the recovery of U.S. film industry as more and more theaters are reopening in the country.

This is the weekend Hollywood has been waiting for, said Box Office Mojo, an American website that tracks box office revenue, noting that the film brings the blockbuster back.

This summer's box office had its hits and disappointments, but in many ways the movie season truly kicks off this weekend with 'F9,' the first true blue blockbuster of the summer movie season, the Cable News Network (CNN) commented.

No question about it, that's the best opening day and weekend we've seen during the pandemic, and more proof that moviegoing is getting back on its feet, the Deadline, a leading entertainment news website, echoed.

But The Hollywood Reporter pointed out that the film won't be able to match the 98.8-million-dollar start of The Fate of the Furious in 2017, underscoring that the fragile nature of the box office recovery.

According to Box Office Mojo, F9: The Fast Saga has earned more than 292 million dollars at the international box office, around three-quarters of the tally came from China.

（中国网英文）