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How many times can the studio go back to the well with the same relative formula and have it work? Well, this is the fourth installment and it relies on the simple premise of cars, chase scenes, and action. As stated earlier, suspending belief and just throwing out the “that could never happen” comments mean a lot toward enjoying these films. Accepting aliens, lasers, and time travel are the basis of so many other franchises, unbelievable car chase scenes are just the bread and butter here.

And it has become the cream of the crop for Universal. With Walker and Vin Diesel back, fans returned in droves. The studio spent $85 million to make Fast and Furious and they were handsomely rewarded. $155 million domestic tally was just the start, as international audiences continued to expand and embrace the exploits of these characters. It managed over $200 million overseas….a staggering $363 million total. Even if you think the series is ridiculous, those numbers are huge.
Fast Five (2011) 5/10

The unlikely fifth entry brings almost all of the major characters from the first movies together. O’Conner is basically on the run with the rest of the Toretto gang, based on his actions at the end of the last film. As they attempt to resettle in Brazil, they decide to put their talents to work for one last job, enough of a play to get established and allow everyone to settle down. Of course, while undertaking the heist, things go crazy. Despite the subpar quality of the rest of the film, the train action sequence near the beginning is amazing.

Fast Five expanded its talent with this venture, bringing in the Rock, and gathering all of the previously unattached characters into a single two and a half our film. It works enough to be entertaining, and grounding the villains of the franchise in South American drug running is okay. The foundation of the franchise, fast cars and racing, has been left way, way behind. The ridiculousness of the bank vault chase scene is action packed but pretty over the top.

It feels as though bringing everyone together creates a fifth wheel; an unneeded element. Audiences just didn’t care, though. Fast Five was heartedly embraced by movie goers. It set the record for an April opening weekend with a stunning $89 million debut and raced through American theaters to the tune of $209 million. The real dough came from the overseas markets, where it earned $416 million. Despite lack of quality, the franchise was alive and well.

Fast & Furious 6 (2013)

I have not seen it yet, but you probably have. And if you have not, you have heard about its box office success.

It opened over Memorial Day weekend and helped power the box office to a record breaking week of $317 million. Of that total take, Brian O’Conner, the Rock, and Toretto drove the way with $120 million. The global dollars that are now pouring into this franchise are absolutely nuts, with foreign receipts already outpacing the domestic ones. A curious mark as to the success of the franchise is that the global cume for Fast & Furious 6 equaled the box office output of the United States during Memorial Day Weekend. That is a stunning accomplishment for this film, and it means the Fast & Furious series is alive and well.

We won’t have to wait long for the next installment with these characters.

It has already been announced for next summer.

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