“Fast 8” premieres in Dhaka, races to massive global debut
“The Fate of the Furious” roars into theatres around the world this week, fueled by audiences' enduring love for its wiseacre crew of hard-driving speed demons.
That the series is still going strong over 16 years and eight installments is a testament to the filmmakers' ability to keep finding fresh ways to reinvigorate a franchise that was basically jerry-rigged to exploit muscle car lust. What started as a fairly low-stakes Los Angeles thriller about a gang of street racers stealing electronics equipment has evolved into an escalating, globe-spanning set of adventures involving the theft of nuclear footballs and some James Bond-level action set pieces. The first film, 2001's “The Fast and the Furious”, cost $38 million to make, and while Universal isn't revealing the price tag for the newest installment, sources peg the budget at $250 million.
On the heels of 2015's “Furious 7”, one of the fastest movies to reach $1 billion worldwide in box-office history and the sixth-biggest global title of all time, comes the newest chapter in one of the most popular and enduring motion-picture serials of all time.
“The Fate of the Furious'” will see a massive rollout that will see the picture debut in 63 markets. With a film of this size and scope it can be difficult to accurately gauge just how massive a debut Vin Diesel and company will enjoy, but analysts predict that the film should top $380 million and could even blow past the $400 million mark globally. That's largely because this time the film will be opening in China and Russia, two of the world's major sources of box office revenue. Last time, those debuts hit later in the release schedule.
The film also premiered in Dhaka at the Star Cineplex yesterday, and is being screened from today in 2D and 3D, with a whooping nine schedules a day.
There are some new elements that the producers hope will enliven a franchise now well into its second decade. Charlize Theron has a memorable turn as a hacker villain and Helen Mirren becomes perhaps the first RADA-trained actress to appear in the series. After largely sitting out “Furious 7”, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson has a more substantial role in this sequel. Then there's F Gary Gray, who fresh from the box office success of “Straight Outta Compton” slides into the director's chair, looking to inject a darker tone into a series that's best known for its gravity-defying car chases.
As for Diesel, ever one to keep expectations low, he has publicly promised that “The Fate of the Furious” will be “the best film you ever saw.” Even if it falls far short of that lofty prediction, it still promises to mint money.
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Source: Variety