FAST X opening | Film counts and BO totals, 2018 to 2023 | May 19 to 21, 2023 weekend
Opening weekend box office, charts and commentary
The current weekend: May 19 to 21, 2023
1) Fast X opening
- This is a strong domestic opening, and a great overseas rollout. Domestically, the weekend figure is above average, and the drop from F9’s opening is minor. But foreign is the series’ strength. Across the last five episodes, the foreign share of BO has grown to more than 75%, and foreign is dominating again.
There have been lots of successful action series, but only James Bond and Fast & Furious have lasted more than 10 episodes. These stories of good guys versus bad guys are understood everywhere around the world. This is excellent business for the genre, with outstanding international appeal:
2) Film counts and BO totals, 2018 to 2023
- The theatrical calendar is starting to look like itself again. We currently estimate 130 wide releases in 2023, including 54 franchise titles. Franchise films continue to drive the business (they generate over 80% of total worldwide BO), with well over half of the total coming from foreign (around 60%).
Overseas has had its challenges: 1) Parts of the world have recovered more slowly from the pandemic; 2) The U.S. dollar strengthened (hurting foreign returns), and then weakened (helping returns); 3) China has deteriorated as a market; and 4) There's a war between Russia and Ukraine.
Guardians of the Galaxy 3, foreign BO is 59% of total so far Overall, there was a dip in foreign in 2022 — you can see it below. But that should reverse in 2023, as macro conditions improve, and as many international markets thrive, like Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, India, and Mexico, et al. Given the challenges, overseas business is showing resilience:
- Take Fast & Furious. Episodes 7 and 8 made $391m and $393m in China (with 25% of the gross going to the distributor), but even doing half that level of box office in China, Fast X is going to generate approx. 80% of its business overseas. That's superb.