The stars of F9 have reacted to the film scoring the biggest domestic opening weekend since the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic began.
"I think what feels best is just the idea that people are returning to the theatrical experience," F9 star Vin Diesel said at a benefit for Charlize Theron's Africa Outreach Project (CTAOP). "It feels good to say, 'Cinema is back!'" Diesel also took time to praise F9 distributor Universal for giving the blockbuster a theatrical release. "You can’t fault another studio for wanting to stream a movie, but the ones like Universal are bold enough to say, 'Hey, we’re going to support the theatrical release,' I take my hat off to them."
"It’s amazing," Theron said of F9. "Just thinking about the fact that they're on their ninth movie, that's pretty impressive. It's a perfect movie to help us come back."
"It's really nice," Jordana Brewest added regarding F9's box office success. "It just feels good to be back in the theater -- period!"
F9 opened to $70 million domestically over the weekend, handily the largest opening weekend in North America since the pandemic started. It surpassed the previous holder of that record, the $47.5 million opening of A Quiet Place: Part II, by 48 percent. Thanks to this strong domestic start as well as notable debuts in countries like the United Kingdom and Mexico, F9 has now reached a whopping $405 million at the global box office.
Directed by Justin Lin, F9 stars Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, John Cena, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jordana Brewster, Sung Kang, Helen Mirren, Kurt Russell and Charlize Theron. The film is now playing in theaters everywhere.
Source: Variety