Universal expands the Fast & Furious franchise this August as the studio buddies up Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham for the action blockbuster Hobbs & Shaw, and with just a few weeks to go until its release the first box office tracking figures are now in for the spinoff.
As reported by Dark Horizons, Hobbs & Shaw is currently looking at a domestic opening weekend of $55 million to $65 million – a solid enough figure, but one that’s down considerably on the more recent instalments of the main series and the lowest since 2003’s 2 Fast 2 Furious.
Furious 7 managed a bumper $147.2 million in its domestic opening weekend, while 2017’s The Fate of the Furious opened with $98.7 million in North America and $541.9 million worldwide, a then-record global bow which has since been obliterated by Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
SEE ALSO: Watch the final trailer for Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw
Hobbs & Shaw cost some $50 million less to produce than The Fate of the Furious, but its $200 million budget is still the second biggest of the franchise to date. So, Universal will surely be hoping that the spinoff enjoys the same kind of success in the international markets, where the previous instalments have earned over 70% of their combined $5.1 billion gross.
Ever since hulking lawman Hobbs (Johnson), a loyal agent of America’s Diplomatic Security Service, and lawless outcast Shaw (Statham), a former British military elite operative, first faced off in 2015’s Furious 7, the duo have swapped smack talk and body blows as they’ve tried to take each other down.
But when cyber-genetically enhanced anarchist Brixton (Idris Elba) gains control of an insidious bio-threat that could alter humanity forever — and bests a brilliant and fearless rogue MI6 agent (The Crown’s Vanessa Kirby), who just happens to be Shaw’s sister — these two sworn enemies will have to partner up to bring down the only guy who might be badder than themselves.
Hobbs & Shaw blasts open a new door in the Fast universe as it hurtles action across the globe, from Los Angeles to London and from the toxic wasteland of Chernobyl to the lush beauty of Samoa.
Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw is being directed by David Leitch (John Wick, Deadpool 2) and will see the return of Dwayne Johnson (Luke Hobbs), Jason Statham (Deckard Shaw) and Helen Mirren (Magdalene Shaw) alongside franchise newcomers Idris Elba (Luther), Vanessa Kirby (Mission: Impossible – Fallout), Eddie Marsan (Ray Donovan), and Eiza Gonzalez (Baby Driver). It is set for release on August 2nd 2019.
