The Fast and Furious franchise has spanned a massive two decades by this point, first hitting TV screens all the way back in 2001. Nevertheless, since its early days as a street racing film, the series has no doubt grown in popularity.
One of the most notable features of the franchise is that it’s always managed to churn out new films with exceptionally short intervals. Considering average Hollywood films take around four to five years to complete, the franchise is no doubt ahead of the game in terms of efficiency.
There are currently ten main movies in the franchise thus far. And, of course, the newly-released Fast X (otherwise Fast and Furious 10) sees the latest installment of Dom Torreto’s story. But this begs the question: how long will Fast and Furious continue, and why is the franchise still going anyway?
The Brutal Truth
Fast and Furious movies seem to be living up to their name in terms of production cycles, with the longest interval being four years – and there’s a reason for this. However, it’s unfortunately not some groundbreaking plot point or a dream of building a broader universe. In reality, it just comes down to the finances.
Christopher Brian Bridges, who goes by the name of Ludacris professionally, has helped shine some light on the numbers. Indeed, as he explains, the first movie in the franchise came out in 2001 and saw a taking of $207 million. It was an instant hit. Shortly after, a second movie was in the works, which took a similar taking of $236 million.
But it was really the seventh movie in 2015 that really sealed the deal. Suddenly, box office takings were through the roof; it leaped to first position as the highest-grossing film in the franchise, scoring a huge $1.52 billion.
As Ludacris explained, “If you spend $200 million and you make a billion, who … is going to tell you to stop shooting the movies when [you’re] making 800 … million dollars.”
Will the Franchise Continue?
The series has had mixed reviews from critics throughout its run time over the last twenty years. Nevertheless, it seems that the brand just won’t quit.
And while Fast and Furious 7 has remained the highest-grossing entry so far, the rest of the franchise is still well worth pursuing. Fast X alone has already brought in over five hundred million at the box office so far on a budget of three hundred and forty million – and that’s just ten days after its US release.
With this thought in mind, and considering Ludacris’s points regarding the brand’s core focus on finances and making a quick profit, it seems likely that the franchise won’t slow down anytime soon.
A sequel has already been announced for 2025, which is set to feature Christina Hodon and Oren Uziel. However, the name and plot for this are, as of yet, untitled. Most likely, given the previous trends, we’ll then see a twelfth film released in around 2027.
As Ludacris explains why the Fast and Furious franchise continues, elsewhere, Arnold Schwarzenegger is stepping up as the Chief Action Officer for Netflix, highlighting a shift in his career path.
