It’s looking likeHobbs and Shaw 2is practically guaranteed at this point.Hobbs & Shawis a certifiable, massive hit as theFast & Furiousspin-off has officially crossed $700 million at the global box office. And, while it’s become increasingly important for studios to have major blockbusters earn a lot of money internationally, there is a strong emphasis on global with this one. Whether or not that ultimately matters is up for debate and remains an interesting topic of discussion. Either way, this all but ensures a sequel will get made.
According to a new report, Universal Pictures has declaredHobbs & Shawhas made it over the $700 million mark. Interestingly, this includes just $160.2 million in North America. For contrast, the spin-off, which stars Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham, has grossed $175 million in China, and counting. This is particularly noteworthy because, for the moment,Hobbs & Shawhas the lowest domestic gross of any movie that has ever made $700 million or more at the box office. While it could easily overtakeIce Age: Continental Drift($164 million) in that department before things wrap up, it’s still a fascinating accomplishment.
But this isn’t new for theFast & Furiousfranchise. The series exploded with Fast Five and, in the years since, has been a massivebox officedraw in overseas markets. It’s helped Universal build one of the most bankable franchises around, and one of the few that Disney doesn’t own. Case in point,Hobbs & Shawis now the biggest movie of 2019 that didn’t come from Disney, or isn’t connected with the Marvel Cinematic Universe.Spider-Man: Far From Home, a Sony release, grossed $1.12 billion, but was produced by the Disney-owned Marvel Studios and is part of the MCU.
Hobbs & Shawis now the fourth highest-grossing entry in the franchise overall, behind Fast & Furious 6 ($788.7 million), The Fate of the Furious ($1.23 billion) and Furious 7 ($1.51 billion). While that almost certainly opens the door for Hobbs & Shaw 2, or whenever the studio wants to call it, this also provides opportunity for further expansion. Vin Diesel previously teased apossible female-led spin-off. Given this movie’s success, it’s highly likely that Universal will explore further opportunities for installments outside of the main series sooner rather than later.
Next up for the franchise will be Fast & Furious 9, which is currently filming. Justin Lin returns to direct, after helming four prior installments.Dwayne Johson’s Luke Hobbs and Jason Statham’s Deckard Shawwill be sitting this one out, so it will be interesting to see if their absence has any effect on things financially. The studio also already has plans for a tenth movie in the main series. This spin-off has caused some tension between Tyrese Gibson, Vin Diesel and other cast members, as it delayed FF9. But It’s hard to argue against the results, especially from Universal’s perspective. This news was previously reported by Forbes.
