By Bahle Gama
On the first day of its official release, Universal’s Fast X heated its engine with over E356.5 million (US$18.4 million) from the Korean and China markets.
The franchise directed by Louis Leterrier reportedly got off to a strong start in China taking an estimated E337.1 million (US$17.4 million) on May 18, including E52.3 million (US$2.7 million) from midnight shows. The sequel has further dominated the market with 84 per cent of the total box office and nine from audiences on Maoyab surpassing Fast 9’s 7.8.
The movie was set to be released on May 18 and 19 globally, varying on time zones which have resulted in spoilers for some fans having to read reviews from critics online and eSwatini Eswatini was not spared having to watch the movie for 12 hours or more after its release in other countries.
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Worth noting is that Universal has a knack for piggybacking on a country’s national holiday or the weekend to release a movie, and in eSwatini, May 18 is Ascension Day, a holiday.
In China, Wednesdays are reportedly the fourth biggest opening day for a studio film since the beginning of the pandemic which resulted in the movie being released on May 17 as a means to benefit from that.
However, the opening results are said to be below the other films in the franchise which opened on a weekend and in a different climate in China. Fast X’s Wednesday came in 57 per cent below Hobbs and Show, and 68 per cent below F9.
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Compared to other Wednesday launches, Fast X is reportedly in the same range as Avengers: Age of Ultron and Jurassic World. Meanwhile, Korea opened on May 18 with E19.4 million (US$1 million) and a 60 per cent market share, that being 86 per cent of Fast 8, 30 per cent above Fast 7, and below both Fast 9 and Hobbs and Shaw which opened on national holidays.
The audience reaction has been reportedly strong, with a 94 per cent CGV Egg score above Fast 9’s 89 per cent. In total, Fast X will release on the weekend of May 20 in 84 overseas markets, whilst France and Germany will also open on May 18.
