Dwayne Johnson made a shocking return in Fast X after publicly claiming he would never return to the franchise years back.
Starring in a short cameo in a credit scene he not only marked his return to the billion-dollar franchise but also set up the premise for his character to play bigger roles in the upcoming movies of the final trilogy of the Fast and Furious franchise.
Interestingly, his return was kept so tightly under wraps that no one had even an inkling of it happening before the movie’s premiere in Rome. As a result, Jason Momoa’s fresh acting and Johnson’s return attracted many fans of the franchise to the theaters since its release on May 19th.
Unfortunately though, while the movie had quite a good headstart, The Little Mermaid‘s release last Friday seems to have put a damper on its box office collection.
Exceeding expectations, Halle Bailey’s live-action remake is on its way to making one of the biggest Memorial Day weekend debuts with $125 million over the extended four-day weekend.
Dwayne Johnson’s return fails to keep Fast X afloat
As the first part of the final trilogy of this globally iconic franchise, Fast X debuted with a lot of expectations. Although the movie has made more than $500 million globally, in its home territory, it has yet to reach $100 million.
However, it is expected to reach that mark by Sunday and cross $113 million by Monday. Technically speaking, Vin Diesel’s movie is doing well even though it has a long way to go before it can reach anywhere near the success of Furious 7, which grossed over $1 billion.
Halle Bailey‘s The Little Mermaid, on the other hand, is predicted to become one of the highest-grossing movies debuting on Memorial Day weekend as she is well on her way to securing her place in the Top 5 alongside Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Top Gun: Maverick, and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.
With amazing reviews racking up every day, it is only to be expected that more and more people would come to watch it at the theaters as time goes by. And while the same could happen to Dwayne Johnson’s Fast X as well, with the way things are standing, it does not seem like so.
Fast X faces bigger competition ahead
Although the movie is still hanging on now, with The Little Mermaid gaining traction, and Spider-Man: Across the Multiverse releasing soon, it’ll be interesting to see if Vin Diesel’s master plan of bringing Dwayne Johnson helps to save the movie.
Not only that, but June will also bring DC’s The Flash to the cinemas, which already has gained a massive response from the audience at the premiers. With the hype around this movie, it is already expected to become one of the biggest movies of this year.
Even a potential sequel might be in the works with Ezra Miller depending on the response the movie receives once it finally releases. Hence, the box office collection will go a long way to determine the franchise’s future.
As such, how Fast X will fare in front of a much bigger competition, as it has already started struggling in front of The Little Mermaid in its week two even with a long weekend, will be interesting to see.
Fast X and The Little Mermaid both are available in cinemas worldwide.
Source: Collider
