The eighth edition of The Fast and the Furious franchise raced to the top of China’s box office on the day of its release on Friday, breaking several records.
According to Entgroup, a mainland-based entertainment consultancy, the movie ended Friday with a gross of 392 million yuan (57 million US dollars). It overtook Journey to the West: The Demons Strike Back as China’s new single day box office champion. The previous record was 356 million yuan (52 million US dollars).
A still of The Fast and the Furious 8, with Cipher, played by Charlize Theron and Dominic, played by Vin Disel. /CFP Photo
Meanwhile, the movie earned 59.7 million yuan (8.7 million US dollars) during ticket presales, setting a new record of the previous edition Furious 7 in 2015.
Its box office numbers may be through the roof, but the movie’s critical reception has been mixed. The film scored 7.5 out of 10 on China’s leading reviews aggregator Douban, far lower than the 8.3 points earned by its predecessor.
Vin Diesel led the cast of The Fast and the Furious mainstays that included Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. The movie also starred Academy-award winner Charlize Theron.
A still from The Fast and the Furious 8. /CFP Photo
Douban user @Yuki gave a five-star rating for the movie. “It still sends your adrenaline pumping,” said Yuki.
Others were disappointed. Douban user @MiaoMiao said the movie's star power was not enough to make up for its bad story.
“A group of immortals are driving dazzling cars… It’s such a waste of its previous reputation,” said @MiaoMiao.
