After a strong opening weekend, China saved Hobbs and Shaw at the box office. The first Fast and Furious spinoff movie debuted in theaters earlier this month, placing Dwayne Johnson’s Luke Hobbs and Jason Statham’s Deckard Shaw front and center. Fast and Furious enjoyed a critical and commercial renaissance this decade, firmly becoming one of the film industry’s most reliable cash cows. That’s what encouraged Universal to explore the possibility of expanding the universe, but the initial returns weren’t what the studio expected.
Though Hobbs and Shaw received mostly positive reviews, it wasn’t a big draw at the U.S. box office. In its first three days, the spinoff grossed $60 million domestically, the worst opening for a Fast and Furious movie since 2009. Despite facing limited competition in August, Hobbs and Shaw has only made $147.7 million in America over the past few weeks. If it was to turn a profit for Universal, it was going to need to make a killing overseas, and it just got a massive boost from the Chinese box office.
According to Variety, Hobbs and Shaw earned a strong $101 million during its first weekend in China. This isn’t necessarily in the same ballpark as the Chinese debuts for Furious 7 ($182.4 million) or The Fate of the Furious ($184.9 million), but it’s exactly what Hobbs and Shaw needed to salvage its box office run. With the Chinese figures, the spinoff has earned approximately $690 million globally. It’s projected Hobbs and Shaw will earn a total of nearly $200 million in China by the time it’s done playing.
Universal banked heavily on Hobbs and Shaw being a hit, as the film sported a hefty production budget of $200 million. When marketing and distribution costs are factored in, it’s believed Hobbs and Shaw’s break even point was $600 million. It’s now passed that figure and can pad the bottom line for the remainder of its run. Still, Hobbs and Shaw is going to go down as a more modest success than its predecessors, since it won’t reach the $1 billion plateau. That seems like an unfair benchmark to set for a franchise spinoff (which historically are not as popular as the mainline installments), but that $200 million budget indicated Universal thought Hobbs and Shaw might have been able to get into that ever-growing club.
Unsurprisingly, the idea was to use Hobbs and Shaw as a springboard for more sequels and spinoffs, especially with the proper Fast and Furious series ending after the 10th entry in 2021. Universal hasn’t confirmed anything yet, and they’re likely going to have discussions in the wake of the Chinese box office performance. Hobbs and Shaw wasn’t a bomb, so it’s evident there’s some interest in seeing further adventures with these characters – just not as much as there would be if Dominic Toretto was going along for the ride as well. If there are to be future Hobbs and Shaw movies, it would be wise for Universal to cut down on costs so it’d be easier for the movie to beak even.
