On the last weekend of April, the North American film market witnessed an extraordinary spectacle. Friday was prosperous, Saturday was packed, and Sunday was lively. The surging crowds dispelled the gloomy winter and the chilly spring, presenting a flourishing scene.
Leading cinemas in major cities like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, and Seattle welcomed the first peak in movie attendance of the year. They bid farewell to the winter's chill and the spring's restraint, and people couldn't wait to shed their thick coats and layers of clothing, embracing the noisy arrival of summer.
Such a movie frenzy prompted waves of astonishment among the media. The headlines on Saturday were flooded with the grand opening day of "Fast 5". The Chicago Tribune even exclaimed, "The summer box office behemoth has arrived early!"
Until now, the North American box office had been in a slump for the past four months. Among the films released this year, the highest cumulative box office was for the animated movie "Rango", released in March, with only $110M in revenue so far. The film with the highest weekend box office on its premiere weekend was "Rio", released two weeks ago, with a weekend box office of only $39M. All the figures for this period were at their lowest levels since 2006.
This was one of the important reasons why the "Opening Battle" had garnered so much attention. People in the industry and film companies were hoping this showdown could boost box office sales, as the summer box office prospects didn't look promising otherwise. Of course, everyone's expectations were centered around "Thor", as the first week after Arbor Day marked the true beginning of the summer movie season.
However, "Fast 5" had stepped onto the tail end of the spring season and kicked off a wave of enthusiasm for moviegoing. In just one day on Friday, major cinemas had welcomed a long-absent crowd. The scene was magnificent, bustling, and exhilarating, stunning the entire North American market. The long night was finally coming to an end.
Before the actual box office numbers were revealed, the media predicted that this dark horse series movie had a high chance of earning over $35M in just one day on Friday. "Rio" had only collected $39M over the entire weekend, and now "Fast 5" might reach such figures in a single day. How could the media not be excited?
Even the major film companies couldn't help but smile. The gloom of the summer box office was finally beginning to dissipate.
What was even more delightful was that, along with the official release of "Fast 5", various reviews were lifted. After the comprehensive media reviews, all the data turned overwhelmingly positive. Every indicator undoubtedly reached the series' highest levels. There was no "Superman Returns"-esque disaster, and instead, it seemed like an "Iron Man"-esque explosion was on its way!
On Rotten Tomatoes, more than 150 mainstream media outlets published their reviews, and the review numbers continued to rise. By the end of Sunday, a total of 271 mainstream media reviews had been recorded on Rotten Tomatoes. Such treatment, even in the summer movie season, was among the best, clearly demonstrating the attention this film had garnered.
Under such extensive scrutiny, criticism, and evaluation, the freshness index of "Fast 5" pleasantly broke through 80%, reaching an outstanding rating of 84%. The score remained steady at 7.4, coinciding with the media reviews. It was evident that both the general audience and professionals had reached similar conclusions, offering ample praise to this film!
Is this an enduring classic? Clearly not; is it a work deserving of praise? Without a doubt!
For the "Fast & Furious" series, this is undoubtedly the moment of a remarkable turnaround.
Even with a small fanbase, even though the series stumbled its way to the fifth installment, even though it was placed in opposition to summer blockbusters like "Thor," it never truly received recognition from critics, not even passing the media's comprehensive reviews. It was as if, like the "Saw" series, which had already reached its seventh installment, critics never took a liking to sequels.
But this time, "Fast 5" successfully earned approval from both professional and mainstream media, conquering this group of sarcastic, critical film critics. For Universal Pictures and the "Fast & Furious" series, this is a moment worth recording in history.
What's more, it's not over yet.
Following the critics, North American audiences also applauded!
The theater score, typically the most authoritative and straightforward reference for box office trends, indicated that a movie rated only "B" usually couldn't achieve double its opening weekend box office, and might even experience a cliff-like avalanche.
However, this time, "Fast 5" successfully received an "A" rating. This was the first time in the series that a movie achieved an "A" rating, which meant that it had the potential to triple its subsequent box office. Although not every commercial film rated "A" ends up with box office earnings three times or more of its opening weekend, there are many influencing factors, but at least, "Fast 5" now had that potential.
On the other hand, on IMDb, only over twenty-six thousand people have participated in the ratings, and the score temporarily stands at 7.9!
Everyone knows that as the number of ratings gradually increases, the score is bound to decrease, and it's impossible to predict where it will ultimately land. This is the law of popcorn movies. Nevertheless, people were genuinely astonished by that 7.9!
In IMDb's rating system, eight is the threshold for the top 250 films. Achieving this score doesn't necessarily guarantee a spot on the list if the number of ratings hasn't reached a certain threshold, but it's the minimum requirement for entry. Now, "Fast 5", a popcorn commercial film, a simple and straightforward racing movie, a film that had never truly achieved box office success, had garnered a 7.9 rating among seasoned movie enthusiasts!
This was undeniably a great victory!
From professional media to mainstream media, from seasoned movie enthusiasts to ordinary moviegoers, everyone had reached a consensus: this was an outstanding popcorn work. Additionally, as supplementary data, the popcorn index had also reached an impressive 88%, further confirming the film's commercial appeal.
This wasn't a fairy tale; it wasn't media manipulation. This was a fact—hundreds of positive reviews at the premiere, that was real; the enthusiastic reception in media reviews, that was real; and thus, the explosive box office earnings on the opening weekend, that was also real.
April 29th, Friday.
"Fast 5" came in like a wrecking ball, forcefully earning $37M in box office revenue!
It was merely a single-day box office, yet it nearly rivaled the weekend box office of "Rio Adventure." With this performance, it boldly claimed a spot within the top twenty highest-grossing single days in cinema history, barely trailing behind "Shrek 3", which occupied the twentieth position. It undoubtedly broke the April single-day box office record, raising it from $30M to $37M, with the previous record holder being "Fast & Furious 4".
April 30th, Saturday.
"Fast 5" continued to maintain its dominance, with a single-day box office drop of just 13%, raking in another $32M!
Considering the historical moment created on Friday, Saturday's minimal drop was undoubtedly the film's best endorsement. It was evident that from the topic effect of the opening battle, it ignited the audience's curiosity. Subsequently, both media and audience buzz turned overwhelmingly positive, further enticing viewers into theaters and thus achieving such remarkable success.
May 1st, Sunday.
The momentum of "Fast 5" showed no signs of waning, as it once again delivered an exceptionally low drop of 19% in single-day box office, earning $26M!
For the third consecutive day, "Fast 5" maintained its vigorous frenzy. In the tail end of the spring season, it swept away all competition, and there was simply no rival in sight. Without a doubt, it became the reigning champion of April, easily securing a weekend box office of $95.3M.
$95.3M!
Before the release of "Fast 5", before the opening battle began, or more accurately, before the conclusion of April's spring season, no one could have predicted such an achievement. It should be noted that before this, the North American record for April's opening weekend box office was held by "Fast & Furious 4" from 2009, with its $70M creating a sensation.
For comparison, the second-highest April opening weekend box office in North America is "Clash of the Titans" from 2010, which earned $61M on its opening weekend. The third-highest is "Anger Management" from 2003, with an opening weekend figure of $42M.
When comparing horizontally, it's clear that the spring season's box office driving ability was quite lackluster.
But now, "Fast 5" not only effortlessly shattered the records set by its predecessors, securing all the historical box office records for April, but it also triumphantly earned $95.3M. With such performance, even in the summer blockbuster season, it stood tall as a deserved giant, effortlessly securing the weekend box office champion title.
The $95.3M in opening weekend box office temporarily ranks 21st in North American opening weekend box office history, with "Iron Man" at $98M in front and "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" at $94M behind.
Records, historical records, a string of historical records— "Fast 5" declared its dazzling entry in an absolutely dominant manner.
From word-of-mouth to box office earnings, from media to audiences, "Fast 5" displayed an unstoppable momentum. In an instant, all eyes turned toward "Thor", making the outcome of the opening battle even more intriguing.