Fast X

Fast X (also known as Fast & Furious 10) is an upcoming American action film directed by Louis Leterrier and written by Justin Lin and Dan Mazeau. It is the sequel to F9 (2021), serving as first part of the final mainline installment, and the eleventh full-length film in the Fast & Furious franchise. The film stars Vin Diesel as Dominic Toretto, alongside an ensemble cast that includes Jason Statham, Michelle Rodriguez, Jason Momoa, John Cena, Brie Larson, Tyrese Gibson, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Jordana Brewster, Nathalie Emmanuel, Sung Kang, Scott Eastwood, Michael Rooker, Daniela Melchior, Alan Ritchson, Helen Mirren, Cardi B, Rita Moreno and Charlize Theron. In the film, Toretto must protect his family from Dante Reyes (Momoa), who seeks revenge for his father's death ten years prior, and loss of his family's fortune.
With the tenth film planned since 2014, and a two-part finale planned since October 2020, Lin was confirmed to return to direct with the main cast attached; it is the second film in the franchise not to feature Dwayne Johnson since his introduction in Fast Five (2011). The film's official title was revealed when principal photography began in April 2022. Lin left as director later that month, citing creative differences, though he retained writing and producing credits. Leterrier was then hired as his replacement a week later. Longtime franchise composer Brian Tyler returned to score the film. Filming lasted until that August, taking place in London, Rome, Turin, Lisbon, and Los Angeles.
Fast X premiered at The Space Cinema Roma Moderno in Rome on May 12, 2023. It was first released in several countries across Europe and South America on May 17, and in the United States on May 19, by Universal Pictures. The film received mixed reviews from critics, with praise for Momoa's performance, but criticized its plot and screenplay. The film has so far grossed $318 million worldwide, becoming the seventh-highest grossing film of 2023. A sequel is scheduled to be released in 2025, while another installment is currently in development.
==Plot==
Dominic "Dom" Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his team are requested by the Agency to steal a computer chip during its transit in Rome. Dom and his wife Letty Ortiz (Michelle Rodriguez) stay behind with his son Brian "Little B" Marcos (Leo Abelo Perry), while the rest of the team travel to Rome. The night before, however, a wounded Cipher (Charlize Theron) arrives at Dom's home and informs him that Dante Reyes (Jason Momoa), the son of drug lord Hernan Reyes, has turned her crew against her and is using them to target Dom in revenge for his father's death ten years prior. Little Nobody (Scott Eastwood) takes Cipher into custody, but reveals to Dom and Letty that there is no Agency mission in Rome.
Realizing that Dante set them up, Dom and Letty travel to rescue the team. In Rome, Dante locks Dom's team in a truck containing a time bomb while Dom and Letty pursue them. The bomb is released through the streets, culminating in Dom pushing it into the Tiber River to mitigate the damage to Rome and the Vatican. Letty is arrested while trying to apprehend Dante. Agent Aimes (Alan Ritchson), the Agency's de facto leader since Mr. Nobody's disappearance, believes that Dom and his team are responsible for the bombing and begins a manhunt, attaching a multi-million dollar bounty.
In Los Angeles, an armed team arrives to take Little B, who was under the care of Dom's sister Mia (Jordana Brewster). Dom's brother Jakob (John Cena) arrives and subdues the team, and travels with Little B to a secret location in Portugal, where they will meet with Dom. Mr. Nobody's daughter, Tess (Brie Larson), is convinced of the team's innocence and uses God's Eye to find Dom in Naples, informing him that Dante is in Rio de Janeiro. Dom confronts Dante and agrees to a race, where they are joined by Diogo (Luis Da Silva Jr.), Dom's friend and Isabel Neves (Daniela Melchior), the sister of Little B's late mother Elena. During the race, Dante tells Dom that he planted bombs in Diogo and Isabel's cars. Unable to reach Diogo, Dom crashes into Isabel to dislodge the bomb as Diogo's car explodes.
Tess visits Letty at a CIA black site, where Tess covertly wounds her to send her to the prison's treatment center. There, she meets Cipher, who escapes and releases Letty, who in turn attacks Cipher and escapes on her own. When she discovers the black site is in Antarctica, she reluctantly returns to Cipher and they agree to work together to escape. In London, the rest of Dom's team discover their bank accounts have been drained and they use cash hidden by Roman Pearce (Tyrese Gibson) to consult with Ramsey's (Nathalie Emmanuel) associate Bowie (Pete Davidson) to acquire supplies. However, Bowie reports their arrival to law enforcement for the bounty, leading the team to turn to Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) for help. Initially reluctant, Shaw agrees to help them after learning his mother Queenie (Helen Mirren) is also a fugitive for helping Dom.
Aimes tracks down and arrests Dom, but his team is ambushed by Dante's mercenaries. Aimes then joins forces with Dom to fight them, but Dante reveals that he has kidnapped Isabel. Tess arrives to help, but is wounded by a sniper hired by Dante, who then steals the God's Eye and locates Little B in Portugal. Dom manages to save Isabel as Dante escapes. Isabel promises Dom to get Tess to a hospital, while Aimes agrees to help Dom take Dante down. Dom's team is also informed and travel to join them in Portugal.
Meanwhile, Jakob and Little B are chased by Dante, who manages to kidnap Little B and then enlists his mercenaries to keep Dom and Jakob from pursuing them. Jakob sacrifices himself in an explosive crash, taking out all of Dante's mercenaries, to allow Dom to catch up to Dante and rescue his son. Arriving at a nearby dam, Dante boxes them between two drone-operated semi-trailers and prepares to crush Dom and his son between them as Aimes, who is revealed to be a double agent working for Dante, shoots down the plane containing Dom's team. To evade the trailers, Dom drives off the edge and down the slope of the dam, landing in the water. He and Little B swim to safety, but are again confronted by Dante, who reveals the dam is rigged with explosives and sets them off. In Antarctica, Letty and Cipher escape the black site and trek across the tundra together to the coast, where a submarine surfaces and Gisele Yashar (Gal Gadot), who was presumed dead, emerges to rescue them.
In a mid-credit scene, Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and his agents storm a former police station owned by Dante, who calls to tell Hobbs that he is the next target for killing his father.
==Cast==
* Vin Diesel as Dominic "Dom" Toretto:
** A former criminal and professional street racer who has retired and settled down with his wife, Letty, and his son, Brian Marcos. In an interview, Leterrier described Fast X as exploring the fallout of Dom's actions in previous installments, saying "[Dom] has fought so hard to keep faith and protect family [but] there is a price to pay. His enemies are coming after him".
* Michelle Rodriguez as Letty Ortiz:
** Dom's wife and a former criminal and professional street racer.
* Tyrese Gibson as Roman Pearce:
** An ex-habitual offender, expert street racer, and a member of Dom's team.
* Chris "Ludacris" Bridges as Tej Parker:
** A tech expert, mechanic, and a member of Dom's team.
* John Cena as Jakob Toretto:
** Dom and Mia's brother and a master thief, assassin, and high-performance driver who once worked as an agent for Mr. Nobody (previously portrayed by Kurt Russell).
* Nathalie Emmanuel as Ramsey:
** A computer hacktivist and a member of Dom's team. Emmanuel said her character sees increased involvement in Fast X compared to the previous films.
* Jordana Brewster as Mia Toretto:
** Dom and Jakob's sister and a member of Dom's team who has settled down with her partner, Brian O'Conner, and their two children.
* Sung Kang as Han Lue:
** An expert drifter and member of Dom's team. He previously faked his death in the events of The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006) and returned in F9 to work on a covert operation for Mr. Nobody.
* Scott Eastwood as Eric Reisner / Little Nobody:
** A government law enforcement agent who once worked under Mr. Nobody.
* Daniela Melchior as Isabel Neves:
** A Brazilian street racer who is revealed to be the sister of Dom's former girlfriend and Little B's mother Elena Neves (previously portrayed by Elsa Pataky).
* Alan Ritchson as Agent Aimes: 
** The new leader of Mr. Nobody's agency who works with Dante.
* Helen Mirren as Magdalene "Queenie" Ellmanson-Shaw:
** The leader of a female militia and mother of Dom's former enemies Deckard and Owen (previously portrayed by Luke Evans), and MI6 agent Hattie (previously portrayed by Vanessa Kirby). Mirren drew inspiration for the character from her aunt (also nicknamed Queenie) and from her performance as Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen (2006).
* Brie Larson as Tess:
** The daughter of Mr. Nobody and a rogue representative of his agency who allies with Dom and his crew. According to Diesel, Larson drew inspiration from his daughter, Pauline, for the character; Pauline was named after series star Paul Walker.
* Rita Moreno as Abuelita Toretto:
** The grandmother of Dom, Jakob, and Mia.
* Jason Statham as Deckard Shaw:
** A former opponent of Dom and his team, who later became a new member after saving Dom's son. Shaw's younger brother, Owen (previously portrayed by Luke Evans), was hospitalized working for Cipher.
* Jason Momoa as Dante Reyes:
** The son of drug kingpin Hernan Reyes who is seeking revenge against Dom and his crew for his father's death and loss of his family's fortune in Fast Five (2011). Momoa described Dante as "very sadistic and androgynous and he's a bit of a peacock… He's got a lot of issues, this guy. He's definitely got some daddy issues". Momoa expressed a desire to play against type when portraying Dante, taking on a "less macho" character, and he performed his own stunts for the film.
* Charlize Theron as Cipher:
** A criminal mastermind and cyberterrorist who is an enemy of Dom's team and an ally of Dante. Regarding Cipher's dynamic with Dante, Leterrier said, "they are bad news, but one is more afraid than the other. One is worse news than the other".
* Joaquim de Almeida as Hernan Reyes:
** A ruthless drug lord and Dante's father, who was killed by Luke Hobbs at the end of Fast Five.
* Leo Abelo Perry as Brian "Little B" Marcos, Dom's son.
Luis Da Silva Jr. reprises his role from Fast Five as Diogo, a Brazilian street racer who allies with Dom and his crew, while appearing through archive footage from that film are Michael Irby as Hernan Reyes' right-hand man Zizi and late series star Paul Walker as Brian O'Conner. Making cameo appearances are Ludmilla as a race starter in Rio de Janeiro, Pete Davidson as Bowie, a friend of Ramsey, Walker's daughter Meadow as a flight attendant helping Jakob, and Debby Ryan and her husband Josh Dun. Gal Gadot and Dwayne Johnson reprise their roles from the franchise as Gisele Yashar and Luke Hobbs during the final scene and mid-credits scene, respectively. The French journalist Ali Baddou appears during the news flashes of the film. Eva Mendes appears as Monica Fuentes through archive footage from 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003).
==Production==
===Development===
In November 2014, Universal Pictures chairwoman Donna Langley said there would be at least three more films in the franchise after Furious 7 (2015). In April 2017, producer Neal H. Moritz stated that the tenth entry would serve as the finale for the franchise with Chris Morgan attached as screenwriter. In October 2017, Justin Lin entered negotiations to direct the ninth and tenth installments, after directing four films in the series. In February 2020, Vin Diesel hinted the film could be split in two, which he confirmed in an April 2021 press conference, stating "there's so much ground to cover and so many places in so many locations that we have to visit" as the rationale behind the decision for a two-part finale. Prior to production, Diesel announced filming would take place in Italy, stating, "I was asked, ‘Would there ever be a Fast where you could film in Italy?’, and I [promised] we would".
By April 2022, a new screenplay draft was written by Lin and Dan Mazeau. On June 5, 2022, Tyrese Gibson announced Fast X would see the franchise "going back to its roots", with reports indicating this to be a return to street racing elements of previous entries, although shared details the film would also continue to explore the history of the Toretto family in a "similar" vein to F9. Gibson also expressed a desire for the franchise to film in South Africa, stating, "me and Luda always had this idea [that] it’s time for us to head to South Africa. It needs real estate in this franchise [because] it [has] a beautiful skyline with ocean. It's the Fast and Furious package". During an August 2022 interview with ComicBook, Nathalie Emmanuel said "the stakes are higher on a more personal level in this [film]", indicating a more grounded approach compared to previous installments. In an interview with Collider, Universal Pictures producer Kelly McCormick stated the impact of COVID-19 and the production schedules of "interfering projects" (like Fast X and its sequel) caused delays in developing the sequel to Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019). Filming in Turin required the Film Commission Torino Piemonte, local authorities, and city councillors to conduct a five month planning schedule from September 2021 and January 2022, collaborating with the Departments of Culture to co-ordinate the city's major events, roads and transport, public, and security around filming requirements. Such planning included managing the overflight of drones and limitations on circulation made necessary for the management and safety of the set.
Fast X is the first film in the series to feature electric cars, with leaked set photos featuring the 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Banshee Concept and the gull-winged DeLorean Alpha5. Other vehicles set to feature include the 2022 TorRed Dodge Charger R/T and the 1970 Charger R/T, a series staple. On June 27, 2022, it was reported Fast X would include the fan favorite orange and black Veilside Mazda RX-7 FD Fortune, which first featured in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. During the film's early promotional run, Leterrier said Fast X explores the potential breakup of family, noting "people are going to need to take sides [and] alliances will need to be made" compounded by "[the] war brewing" between the characters, saying "there will be some tremendous casualties".
===Casting===
In June 2021, Diesel revealed that Cardi B would reprise her role as Leysa in the tenth film, after the character debuted in F9. Later that month, Diesel announced the film would be split in a two-part culmination to the franchise, with principal photography slated to begin in January 2022 and take place back-to-back. In December 2021, Dwayne Johnson ruled out returning for Fast X, and labelled an Instagram post by Diesel asking for his return as "manipulation", with publications indicating he was referring to his reported feud with Diesel stemming from Diesel's role as an executive producer on The Fate of the Furious (2017). In early 2022, Jason Momoa was cast as Dante, the villain, while Daniela Melchior, Brie Larson, and Alan Ritchson joined the cast by that April. Describing Momoa's addition, Leterrier said Dante is "an incredible new character. It’s 1,000 per cent Momoa", while Michelle Rodriguez said Dante is "malicious but he can be playful. It's like a fresh energy. There's something charming about him". In May, Rita Moreno was cast as the grandmother of Dom, Jakob, and Mia. In a February 2023 interview with Collider, Moreno's grandson revealed he pitched for her inclusion in Fast X after he met Diesel at the premiere for West Side Story (2021), which also starred Moreno.
On December 23, 2022, it was revealed that Gal Gadot, who portrayed Gisele Yashar in three previous installments, filmed a scene for Fast X; according to social media reports, she appeared in one of two versions of the film screened three days prior, with further details about the nature of her return undisclosed. Gadot's potential return was met with mixed reception by fans and critics; some criticized the franchise's history of reviving dead characters to capitalize on star power, labelling it "ineffective" fan service which negatively impacts the previous installments and the story of the franchise. Others were positive about Gadot's potential return, citing her portrayal of one of the franchise's most popular characters.
===Filming===
Principal photography began on April 21, 2022, with the film's title being revealed and Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Jordana Brewster, Nathalie Emmanuel, Sung Kang and Charlize Theron confirmed to reprise their roles. According to Diesel, an earlier draft excluded Brewster's character, which he overturned. The next day, Michael Rooker was confirmed to reprise his role as Buddy from F9. Fast X's production budget was initially reported to be $300 million in May 2022, which was revised to $340 million that November. Salary of the film's cast earned over $100 million, including $20 million for Diesel. Other costs for the rising budget (which factors in tax-incentive offsets) included increases in production costs caused by global inflation and charges for pandemic testing requirements mandated by COVID-19 safety protocols. According to unnamed sources reporting to Radar, Diesel reportedly "stressed" over the increased budget and the creative decisions in Fast X; sources wrote Diesel is considered by Universal as "simultaneously the greatest star [they've] had and their biggest headache" and that "[Diesel] doesn't let anybody forget [how] the Fast & Furious franchise is important to the whole [film] industry".
A week after filming commenced, Lin exited the film as director due to "creative differences", leaving primary production stalled. However, Lin will remain on board as a producer. Later reports alleged that Lin clashed on set with Diesel, who purportedly arrived out of shape, was often late, and did not remember his lines. Lin was also upset with rewrites to his screenplay, as well as changing filming locations and one of the film's villains having yet to be cast; a disagreement with Diesel reportedly escalated to the point it caused Lin to shout, "This movie is not worth my mental health." Second unit production remained ongoing in the United Kingdom while the studio sought for a replacement director. Universal Pictures reportedly spent $1 million a day to pause production. Former Fast & Furious directors F. Gary Gray and David Leitch, who previously directed The Fate of the Furious and Hobbs & Shaw respectively, were considered by the studio to replace Lin, however neither were likely to step in due to their respective commitments with Lift and The Fall Guy (2024). Furious 7 director James Wan, who was once considered to direct The Fate of the Furious but declined due to his straining experience on Furious 7, was also considered a "viable option" but was tied with commitments to Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023). Variety reported hiring an "A-list" director was not probable without drastic changes to the screenplay and Universal would likely turn to a second unit director "well-versed" in big-budget action films. On May 2, 2022, Louis Leterrier was announced as Lin's replacement.
Leterrier already had an established relationship with the studio, having previously directed The Incredible Hulk (2008), and he was knowledgeable about the franchise; he and franchise star Jason Statham went to watch the original film in Paris in 2001 while on a break from filming The Transporter (2002). Leterrier joined filming in London after scheduling and contractual considerations were confirmed; he later revealed he initially rejected the offer to direct the film, labelling it a "massive" task, although later used elements of Lin's original contributions, such as the established crew, as well as Lin's shot lists and storyboards, to complete the film.Production in London concluded in mid-August, with scenes filmed at Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden. Rodriguez later revealed a fight sequence between her and Theron was shot without a principal director, being done while studio negotiations with Leterrier were ongoing. Describing his style for the film, Leterrier said, "I'm more practical than other directors, and I brought [the franchise] back to earth", revealing he favored more practical stunts (including a return of racing scenes featuring a "vertical quarter mile race") enhanced with visual effects,as opposed to largely computer generated placements in the recent installments.
Filming took place in Genzano di Roma for two weeks in mid-May, and one week in mid-July, with scenes shot at the Via Cristoforo Colombo, Lungotevere, Via dei Fori Imperiali, Ponte Umberto I, Ponte Vittorio Emanuele II, and the area around the Spanish Steps and the Castel Sant'Angelo.Filming then took place in Turin between May 24 and June 6, with action sequences filmed at the Piazza Crimea and Corso Fiume, Murazzi del Po, Via Roma, and the Piazza IV Marzo. Momoa began shooting his scenes on May 16. Like previous installments, Diesel supervised writing and design of the film's action sequences; according to unnamed sources to The Hollywood Reporter, Diesel's creative control and frequent last-minute changes reflect "a process [which] is like a mosaic that doesn’t stop moving", labelling him "demanding" and a perfectionist. On June 6, it was reported a stuntman was injured in an accident after being hit by part of a car after an explosion. On July 22, in an interview with Deadline Hollywood while at San Diego Comic-Con, Rodriguez announced she had completed filming her scenes and said "only four [or] five weeks [are] left" in production. Filming in Angelino Heights (the location of the Toretto house) faced protest from some local residents after production gave notice of the filming of a sequence which would involve "simulated emergency services activity, aerial photography, wetting down of street and atmospheric smoke". According to those residents, the protest was to raise awareness for road safety education, claiming the franchise caused their neighborhood to become a hot spot for fans to engage in street racing and other dangerous activity. Filming managed to occur following the protest on August 26, while other portions were filmed in Portugal, such as in Lisbon, Viseu, and Vila Real. In an interview with Lusa News Agency, Conceição Azevedo, the mayor of Viseu, announced filming would take place on IP5, a highway in the Vouzela municipality. Ritchson finished filming his scenes by August 16, and hinted at flying cars in the film, stating "we're going to take it to the sky".
During filming, Sofia Noronha, a producer for Sagesse Productions (the company in charge of overseeing production of Fast X in Portugal) said a "brutal economic investment" will be made in the country by the film. Highlighting the weather, affordability through tax breaks, and flexibility of the production, Noronha argued "investments [from film] made in the country is almost double that tax incentive. The [producing] country always benefits". This was echoed during filming in Turin, with it reported the two-week schedule generated €3.8 million for the local economy, coming mainly from expenses related to location rent, hospitality, technical staff and local workforce employment, security and sanitation, and storage and unloading. It was also reported the film regularly brought troupes of close to 400 people (5 times above average for comparable films) and often collaborated with hundreds of local professionals on the research of locations and finalization of the working filming plan. In a statement, Beatrice Borgia, President of Film Commission Torino Piemonte, said "Fast X is a confirmation of the key role Turin and Piedmont has gained in filmmaking. [We have] proved to have all what is needed to host complex productions: skilled professionals, supportive institutions, and amazing locations".
===Post-production===
Peter Chiang, DNEG, and Industrial Light & Magic return as the visual effects vendors for the production, after doing so for F9. Composer Brian Tyler also returned. In a July 2022 interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Michelle Rodriguez praised the addition of Leterrier and his predominantly French-speaking creative team, labelling it "the French takeover, dude". She stated Leterrier "came with all this energy of love [from] a real fan of [the] franchise who really wants to take it places that it hasn’t gone before. It reminds you [how] beautiful and magical [filmmaking] is". Several aerial shots were filmed with first-person view (FPV) drones with an attached RED Komodo camera piloted by Johnny Schaer, similar to the filming technique used for the action sequences in Michael Bay's Ambulance (2022). Schaer previously supervised the drone-led filming in Rawson Marshall Thurber's Red Notice (2021). In March 2023, the writing credits were finalized; Mazeau and Lin received screenplay credits, and both shared story credits with Zach Dean. In May 2023, despite his initial refusal to return to the franchise, it was announced that Dwayne Johnson would appear as Luke Hobbs in the
==Marketing==
Parts of Fast Xpreviewed at CineEurope in Barcelona in June 2022, including a first look at Jason Momoa and Brie Larson. Speaking of the film, Universal Pictures International President of Distribution, Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, stated the studio's drive was to continue to "cater to the diverse tastes" expected from the franchise. At the 2022 Grio Awards, Tyrese Gibson stated he watched the completed film on October 20, 2022, describing it as "crazy" with "just too much magic", and announced an extended version of the film's trailer would first premiere at Super Bowl LVII on February 12, 2023. This was seemingly confirmed in a December 2022 social media post by Vin Diesel, who wrote the trailer was "less than two months away", and was made it official in January 2023 post. In a January 2023 report by Collider, it was confirmed the first trailer would debut worldwide on February 10, 2023 (after being screened at a private fan event a day prior); it was three minutes long, and was followed with a Super Bowl spot alongside Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, Cocaine Bear, Scream VI, 65, Air, The Little Mermaid, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and The Flash (all 2023). Beginning February 1, to promote the release of the trailer, official recuts of the trailers of each of the previous nine films, dubbed "Legacy Trailers", were released daily in conjunction with IGN. The fan event took place at L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles, being hosted by Maria Menounos and featuring Diesel, Rodriguez, Gibson, Ludacris, and Cody Walker, the brother of the series' longtime initial star Paul Walker. Similar fan events also took place in Mexico, France, and Japan but did not feature the cast.
On February 1, the film's teaser poster was released, depicting Diesel alone in the center, bowing his head and clutching a cross between his fists on a dark to light backdrop. Writing for Collider, Safeeyah Kazi said his positioning depicts "an intense prayer" with the "small amount of light [from the cross] engulfing his fist acting as the optimism in the dark". She also said that the relative simplicity of the poster compared to the "color explosion" for F9 could indicate a grittier storyline in Fast X. Kazi wrote the film's "the end of the road begins" tagline depicted "a new level of intensity", and speculated it could refer to the end for some of the franchise's characters. In an analysis by Matt Singer of WBUF, Singer described the poster as "somber", noting it as "remarkably tense" compared to the posters for other entries in the franchise. Stills from the film detailing Momoa, Larson, and Diesel's characters were publicly released on February 9,and was followed by a teaser showcasing the main cast a day later. The official trailer then released soon after, featuring an orchestral flip of "Notorious Thugs" by The Notorious B.I.G. and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony from the former's album Life After Death (1997). The trailer was mostly postively received; writing for GQ, Grant Rindner labelled the trailer "glorious absurdity", stating it is "as glossy and over-the-top as recent features". He commended the return of racing scenes, saying it "restores the original feeling" of the films, and said the music was an "operatic nail-biter".
According to data from social media analytics company RelishMix, the film's Super Bowl trailer (dubbed "The Big Game Trailer") clocked 94.1 million views across social media in the 24 hour period following the game; it was the third most viewed trailer that aired at the event, behind Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (134.1 million views) and The Flash (97.4 million). It was the highest-viewed trailer which did not debut at the event, but its view count was down from the 110.9 million views received by F9's Super Bowl trailer in 2020, prior to that film's eventual delay. According to unnamed sources reporting to Variety, the first trailer accumulated an estimated 295 million views globally within the first 72 hours of release; Instagram drove nearly 30% of views, followed by TikTok (25%), Facebook (22%), YouTube (18%) and Twitter (6%), with a majority of viewership coming in from international territories. Fast X also trended as the top topic on Twitter in the U.S. immediately after the trailer debut. Similar to other Fast & Furious releases, Hot Wheels announced a themed basic assortment of cars set to feature in Fast X, which is set to be released with the film.
On March 14, 2023, the official theatrical poster was released; writing for Collider, Aidan King positively reviewed the poster, saying the vehicles placed around the characters are similar to a "high-octane drag race", indicating a return to the franchise's history as car-oriented films. He also noted the characters "loom above the drag [race] scene", referencing the franchise's thematic shift away from car culture. Two weeks later, further promotional images featuring Diesel, Larson, and Momoa were released; the images featured alcoholic beverages not released by Corona, marking the first time Corona is set not to be featured in the franchise. Two featurettes were also released, first on March 31 and then on April 7, 2023, with the main cast giving a behind-the-scenes look (with previously unseen footage) at the production of the film. An additional featurette highlighting Diesel and Perry's characters was released on May 5, with the pair and Leterrier providing commentary.
On April 19, the second full-length trailer and the film's official synopsis was released; it was generally praised by critics for its action and Momoa's presentation. On May 2, a character trailer featuring Diesel and Rodriguez, titled "Fast X: Open Road", was released; writing for /Film, Bill Bria described it as "reflective". The trailer featured elements of Max Richter's "On the Nature of Daylight" and Dinah Washington's contributions from "This Bitter Earth", which Bria said "lent even more gravitas to the Dom/Letty highlight reel". He further praised the combination, stating "visuals so nakedly frivolous and music so achingly earnest" created "an exquisite tension".Two days later, the free to play 8-bit style game Fast X: Let's Race was launched online. The game features multiple top-down race courses set in the film's locations of Los Angeles, Rio de Janeiro, and Rome. Diesel and Rodriguez then appeared in promotional spots at the 2023 Miami Grand Prix, while in the United Kingdom, the film partnered with the Capital radio network to launch a competition for a listener to win a trip to Rome.
==Release==
Fast X is scheduled to be released first in Belgium, France, and Sweden on May 17, 2023, and in the United States on May 19. In February 2016, Diesel announced initial release dates for the ninth and tenth films, with the tenth film initially set to be released on April 2, 2021. After F9 was delayed to the tenth film's release date due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tenth film's release date was delayed indefinitely. In June 2021, Diesel announced a targeted release date of February 2023 and February 2024 for the tenth and eleventh films. That August, Fast X was officially announced to be released on April 7, 2023. In December, the film was pushed back to May 2023, and is scheduled to be widely released, including in IMAX and other premium large formats.
Fast X was cleared for release in China on March 28, 2023, marking one of the first large American films released in the country in 2023; Fast & Furious films have grossed over $1.2 billion in China since the release of Fast & Furious 6 (2013), and was one of the first countries where F9 was released, being five weeks ahead of its domestic release.
==Box office==
As of May 21, 2023, Fast X has grossed $67.5 million in the United States and Canada, and $251.4 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $318.9 million. TheWrap estimated the film needs to gross $800–850 million in order to turn a profit.
In the United States and Canada, tickets went on sale at midnight on February 9, 2023, a day prior to the premiere of the trailer. According to a Fandango study, which surveyed over 6,000 ticket buyers between February and March 2023, Fast X was revealed to be the sixth most anticipated film of the summer. Writing for TheWrap, Jeremy Fuster predicted that Fast X may be less profitable than some of its predecessors, citing the film's sudden increased overall production budget (at 70% larger than F9) and the expected large marketing budget. In April 2023, box office projections estimated that the film would gross $65–75 million in its opening weekend.By the week of its release, estimates had been lowered to $60 million. The film made $28 million on its first day, including $7.5 million from Thursday previews. It went on to debut to $67.5 million from 4,042 theaters, topping the box office.
In the United Kingdom, tickets went on sale on May 5. The film was projected to gross around $280 million worldwide in its opening weekend, including about $220 million from 84 countries. Like its domestic debut, the film ended up slightly out-performing projections, making $252.7 million internationally and a total of $320 million worldwide. It was sixth-best opening weekend for a studio film since 2019, and second-biggest non-superhero title (behind Avatar: The Way of Water). Its largest markets were China ($78 million), Mexico ($16 million), France ($9.6 million), and Brazil ($9.6 million).
===Pre-sale ticketing===
Tickets went on sale the midnight of February 9, 2023, a day prior to the premiere of the trailer, across several ticket websites such as Fandango and AMC Theatres. According to a Fandango study, which surveyed more than 6,000 ticket buyers between February and March 2023, Fast X was revealed to be the sixth most anticipated summer film of the year, behind The Little Mermaid, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, The Flash, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. In the United Kingdom, tickets went on sale on May 5.
==Reception==
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 53% of 197 critics gave Fast X a positive review, with an average rating of 5.7/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "As irredeemably silly as it is satisfyingly self-aware, Fast X should rev the engines of longtime fans while leaving many newcomers in neutral." On Metacritic, the film holds a weighted average score of 55 out of 100 based on 55 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
==Sequel==
A sequel, which is planned to serve as the eleventh and final main installment, is in development. Prior to development of Fast X, in June 2021, Diesel said, "Every story deserves its ending. I know people are going to feel like it doesn’t have to end, but I think all good things should. There are reasons for a finale. I think this franchise has deserved it". This was echoed by longtime series director Justin Lin that September, who revealed the two-part finale, saying, "Every day, I try to configure and make sure whatever we're [discussing] will yield the best result. I think having one chapter in two [films] is correct". This was then also confirmed in an interview by Louis Leterrier, who replaced Lin as director for Fast X, who said, "[Fast X] is big. What we're planning for the next [film] is gigantic, in terms of action, scope and emotion. You will feel all the feels. Tears will roll".
In February 2023, Diesel said he wanted Robert Downey Jr. to star in the final installment as the main antagonist, revealing a character has been developed which is "the antithesis of Dom". Rodriguez said she wanted Matt Damon to be included in the final film. Later that month, Diesel also confirmed the eleventh film will be the final main installment, saying, "What gets harder [about the films] is the work off-screen. The thinking, the expanding... It's hard to continue mythologies. There's a reason why Tolkien stopped writing after a while". On April 19, Leterrier was announced as the director of the final film, while Christina Hodson and Oren Uziel were confirmed as screenwriters five days later. On April 26, at CinemaCon, Diesel revealed the eleventh film will be released in 2025. That May, during the film's premiere in Rome, Diesel claimed Universal requested the series extend to a three-part finale, thus extending the main series to twelve films. That same month, it was announced that Johnson will be reprising his role as Luke Hobbs in the sequel.
==Videos==
===Trailers===
FAST X - Official Trailer
FAST X - Official Trailer 2
FAST X - Final Trailer
===Spots===
FAST X - Big Game Spot
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