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Michelle Rodriguez and Vin Diesel: After the great silence, now the big roar
Photo: Giles Keyte / Prod.DB / imago images
It is a spectacle about fuel and sweat: According to an estimate by the industry journal “Variety”, “F9” will bring in 68 million dollars on this opening weekend in the USA.
Before the corona crisis, that would hardly have been worth reporting;
the superhero tableau "Avengers: Endgame", for example, brought it to a good 350 million dollars on the opening weekend in April 2019.
But the pandemic has also shifted the yardstick for success in Hollywood.
The endgame of the motorists of the "Fast & Furious" saga could actually be the new beginning of blockbuster cinema.
All hopes rest on the muscles and muscle cars of Michelle Rodriguez and Vin Diesel.
The probably final "Fast & Furious" part was played out in 4,179 US cinemas - also a record under Covid.
Is this the kickstart the cinema industry has been hoping for?
Previously, the horror episode "A Quiet Place 2" about an invasion of aliens who track down and devour people using the slightest noise, with $ 48 million, had the best box office result on the opening weekend since the beginning of the corona crisis.
So after the great silence, now the great roar, violence and unleashing can feel so different in a cinematic theater.
The film industry is also so nervous about the output curve of »F9« because, among other things, it is decided whether it will be worthwhile to produce films for the cinema in the future - or whether the entertainment groups will evaluate their products entirely on their own Dodges streaming services.
Just two weeks ago, the Disney Group launched its new Pixar summer blockbuster "Luca" exclusively on its Disney + platform.
Comeback of the movie theater?
While the cinemas remained closed or were only allowed to open with elaborate, hardly profitable hygiene concepts, Netflix, Apple TV + and Amazon Prime Video were able to generate new customers.
It remains to be seen whether large numbers of them can be brought back to the cinemas.
Seen in this way, »F9« has to meet the highest expectations.
Filming was completed in autumn 2019, but after that the playout was repeatedly postponed due to the pandemic - just like the start dates of so many other potential box office hits.
Time and again, for example, the release of the James Bond film "No Time to Die" was delayed.
The start is now planned for September 2021;
almost two years later than originally planned.
Charlize Theron also scrolls through the picture
If the success continues, »F9« could put an end to the endless postponements and digital collapses in the film industry.
The responsible studio Universal (so far does not have a direct streaming offshoot) is likely to speculate that "F9" will be the greatest success since the last hit movie of the pre-Corona period.
That was the Disney production "Star Wars 9: The Rise of Skywalker", which started in December 2019.
The ninth part of "Fast & Furious", this celebration of the internal combustion engine, actually bears a lot of resemblance to the Star Warrior saga: What laser swords and durasteel are in "Star Wars" are the rows of cylinders and double carburetors in "Fast & Furious".
Material battles deliver both series of films.
Stars in »F9« will include: a Ford Mustang GT-350, a Pontiac Fiero, a 2020 Jeep Gladiator, a Toyota Supra, a 1968 Dodge Charger 500 and a Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat. As human vehicles, Oscar winners like Charlize Theron and Helen Mirren roll and rumble through petrol stations and expressways alongside cars. Car mechanics, watch out: Germany starts on July 15th.