Credit: F9: The Fast Saga
The end of an era is soon near. Since 2001, the Fast and the Furious franchise has been a popular series (and honestly, the only one) that highlighted drag racing in a way that made arcade video games blush. However, the series suffered a sharp decline in quality and box office returns after the first film, though that instantly changed once the original cast made their return in Fast & Furious. Fast Five is truly what set the much-needed spark to a dying franchise. Vin Diesel found a formula for making these over-the-top and ridiculous moments and making them look cool and somewhat believable in the process.
Granted, some moments are just so insane that they’re stupid and expose the movie for being fake, but otherwise, the franchise understands what it is and has fun with the car’s concept as they go along. Of course, all these wild stunts, such as the crew dragging a safe (Fast Five) or the car in Fast 7 flying from one building to the next, cost money. With Fast X being split into two movies, the budget for the alleged final feature in the Fast saga was always going to be high; however, according to The Wrap, the budget for the upcoming feature has grown to the astronomical amount of $340 million, which is significantly higher than F9’s reported $200 million budget. Somehow, this film has managed to top some of the most expensive movies ever made:
Credit: F9: The Fast Saga
The Lion King ($260 million), Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi ($262 million), Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice ($263 million), John Carter ($264 million), Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker ($275 million), Solo: A Star Wars Story ($275 million), Justice League ($300 million), Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End ($300 million), and Avengers: Infinity War ($316 million). Now to be fair, the series makes bank at the box office; two films have made over $1 billion worldwide (Furious 7 and The Fate and the Furious), while Fast 6 and F9: The Fast Saga have made over $700 million, respectively.
F9: The Fast Saga showed that there might be some franchise fatigue at play. Granted, the film came out during the pandemic, so making it across the billion-dollar mark was a dream at that point, but the fan and critical reception to the last feature wasn’t particularly as strong as the others. In fact, F9 garnered the first rotten tomato score since Fast & Furious, which still has a franchise low of 28%. While it would be shocking if the conclusion to the fast story would turn out worse numbers, the signs of a waning product a certainly there.
Credit: F9: The Fast Saga
However, it isn’t just the crazy action that’s blowing up the budget as it appears Justin Lin’s exit is also the reason for the cost going over the budget. Surprisingly, long-time collaborator Justin Lin exited the series in April, and it reportedly stems from creative differences that ultimately ended in a shouting match between Lin and Vin Diesel. It was actually a spur-of-the-moment type thing, as Lin was said to be very frustrated, but he managed to reach a settlement with Universal to stay on board as a producer. Lin’s departure allegedly cost hundreds of thousands of dollars per day until Incredible Hulk director Louis Leterrier stepped in the director’s chair.
They are other issues that also led to the production costs going high, though those reasons aren’t as detailed as much as the Justin Lin situation. Add to the fact that this series has an all-star cast that includes Charlize Theron, Jason Momoa, Brie Larson, John Cena, Jason Statham, and Helen Mirren. Of course, production for Fast X will continue, but one thing’s for sure, Fast X will be a very expensive film.
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