Universal’s The Fast and the Furious franchise was never a big success in the U.K. until the studio dropped "the" from the title. Since turning into Fast & Furious, U.K. audiences have flocked to see the racing franchise and Fast & Furious 6 is no exception. The film, set in London, blew past The Great Gatsby, leaving that film in the dust.
The Guardian reports that the first three films in the franchise each opened under £3 million, but Fast & Furious - the fourth film - started an uptick, which continued for Fast & Furious 5. The new film grossed an amazing £8.72 million (around $13.2 million), which already makes it the third-highest grossing Fast & Furious movie at the U.K. box office. During the fifth film’s entire run, it made £18.5 million.
Fast & Furious 6 easily crushed The Great Gatsby. Baz Luhrmann’s film, which earned a mixed reception in the U.S., grossed £4.1 million ($6.1 million) from Thursday to Sunday, notes The BBC.
Both films did top Star Trek Into Darkness. That film has made £15.6 million ($23.6 million) since it was released on May 9, adding £3.7 million ($5.6 million) this past weekend.
Iron Man 3 has been out for a month in the U.K. and added £1.4 million ($2.1 million) this past weekend. Its total is up to £33.8 million in the U.K. The film passed the $1 billion mark last week.
Fast & Furious 6 opens in theaters in the U.S. this weekend.
image: Universal/image.net