The One Movie That Saved the Fast & Furious Franchise

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The Fast & Furious series has experienced its share of highs and lows throughout its history, but one particular installment managed to prevent it from a lackluster future. Debuting in 2001, “The Fast and the Furious” marked the introduction of Vin Diesel as Dominic Toretto and Paul Walker as Brian O’Conner, a pair whose enduring presence would later serve as the foundation for the franchise.

The initial release was succeeded by “2 Fast 2 Furious” in 2003 and “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift” in 2006. However, these subsequent films were not as warmly received. The same could be said for “Fast & Furious” (2009), the fourth installment. Despite the first film garnering a dedicated fanbase, the sequels that followed hinted at the possibility that the franchise might have reached its limit.

Fast Five Marks A Turning Point For Fast & Furious

The Fast Saga Was On Rocky Ground

2011 saw the release of Fast & Furious, a film that drastically altered the course for the series. Directed by Justin Lin and featuring Dom and Brian battling a ruthless Brazilian drug lord and relentless federal agent Luke Hobbs (played by Dwayne Johnson), this fifth installment provided a fresh burst of energy to the franchise, paving the way for a brighter future ahead.

Initially, “Tokyo Drift” struggled to find favor among fans of the “Fast” series, as it underperformed significantly at the box office during its release. In essence, the movie paved the way for a fresh narrative and set of characters, but the audience’s response was reflected in their wallets. As depicted in the chart below, the film earned a meager global revenue of approximately $158 million.

Fast & Furious Franchise Performance
Title RT Critics’ Score RT Popcornmeter Worldwide Box Office
The Fast and the Furious (2001) 55% 74% $207M
2 Fast 2 Furious (2003) 37% 50% $236M
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006) 38% 69% $158M
Fast & Furious (2009) 29% 67% $360M
Fast Five (2011) 78% 83% $626M
Fast & Furious 6 (2013) 71% 84% $788M
Furious 7 (2015) 82% 82% $1.515B
The Fate of the Furious (2017) 67% 72% $1.236B
Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019) 67% 88% $760M
F9: The Fast Saga (2021) 59% 82% $726M
Fast X (2023) 56% 84% $704M

The box office performance of Tokyo Drift caused some uncertainty within the franchise, leading Universal Pictures executives to contemplate releasing potential sequels directly to video instead. This decision, had it been made, could have significantly hampered the franchise’s prospects for major success. (The Wrap interview with a former Universal Pictures co-president of production in 2013 revealed this.)

Following the well-received appearance of the Dom character in the film “Tokyo Drift“, executives chose to grant Diesel greater creative freedom. This decision led to the creation of “Fast & Furious“, a sort of last-ditch effort for the franchise. Despite receiving negative reviews, the movie’s financial success laid the groundwork for the release of “Fast Five”, which remains the second-highest rated film in the “Fast & Furious” series on Rotten Tomatoes.

Fast Five Steers Fast & Furious Toward Success

Dom’s 2011 Outing Establishes Key Continuing Franchise Elements

Fast Five significantly boosted the series’ popularity, becoming a must-see movie experience on the big screen rather than a DVD release. The film offered a solid and realistic action style, but it was the high-octane bank heist scene that set the stage for the extravagant action sequences characteristic of subsequent films.

Beyond allowing for flashier action sequences, Fast Five solidified the key characters driving the franchise. It isn’t just Dom and Brian leading the Fast Saga; characters like Letty (Michelle Rodriguez), Mia (Jordana Brewster), Tej (Ludacris), Roman (Tyrese Gibson), Han (Sung Kang), and Hobbs have also taken on significant roles. These characters have become beloved among fans.

It’s evident that the Fast franchise acknowledges the significance of Fast Five, as the plotline for Fast X (2023) is primarily based on and influenced by the events of the 2011 film. The character of Jason Momoa’s Dante has been introduced into the narrative as the son of Reyes, a role previously played by Joaquim de Almeida.

The sequel to “Fast X: Part 2” is approaching, and while some shine may have worn off since 2011, each new chapter in the series continues to be a significant cinematic event. Although the Fast Saga might be nearing its end, it’s important to remember that “Fast Five” was the film that laid the foundation for the franchise’s success over the past 14 years and more.

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2025-07-05 18:09