Box Office: ‘F9’ Racing Towards Pandemic-Era Record Debut After Killer Preview Results

This weekend saw Disney test out a hybrid release with one of their top-tier releases, as “Black Widow” starring Scarlett Johansson hit both theaters and Premier Access on Disney+ this weekend. The studio had delayed the film’s release by more than a year due to the pandemic, and it seems to have paid off in a major way.

Black Widow is huge!

Ellise Shafer administratorMarvel’s “Black Widow” is poised to make an $87.8 million debut at the domestic box office, which would best the pandemic-era opening record previously held by “F9.”Having raked in a mighty $39.5 million on Friday from 4,160 theaters, “Black Widow” is set to easily earn another $48 million on Saturday and Sunday, with a final number that may shoot even higher than industry estimates.

Black Widow might be making major bank at the box office for opening weekend.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and Media“Black Widow” marks the return of Marvel movies to cinemas after a long and arduous COVID era absence. There’s clearly been a lot of pent-up demand for all things MCU.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterWhen it comes to moviegoers, there are few that assemble as forcefully as the ones who pledge allegiance to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.Yet for the past two years, superhero enthusiasts have been deprived of Spandex-filled theatrical offerings as the pandemic forced studios to postpone “Black Widow,” “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” “Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” and “Eternals” over and over again.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterFor the first time in a long time, people are actually going to the movies.After a delayed start to summer, Universal’s action franchise “F9: The Fast Saga,” Paramount’s thriller “A Quiet Place Part II” and the Warner Bros. monster movie “Godzilla vs.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and Media“The Valet” is switching distributors.The upcoming comedy starring Eugenio Derbez of “Instructions Not Included” fame was originally set up for release by Lionsgate. It’s been sold to the Walt Disney Company, which will release it domestically on Hulu in summer 2022.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaJeff Cohen first met Richard Donner while making “The Goonies,” the 1985 adventure classic about a group of misfit kids hunting for treasure. Cohen played Chunk, a mischevious preteen who loves ice cream and prank calls.

Refresh for latest…: Universal’s F9 is gearing up to hit the $500M mark globally, a milestone it will cross on Monday as it becomes the first Hollywood movie to do so during the pandemic era, and the first since any studio film originally released during 2019. The Justin Lin-helmed title will also join China’s Hi, Mom and Detective Chinatown 3 as only the third film of any provenance to get there in 2020 and 2021. The worldwide cume through Sunday is $491.5M.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaFans will have to wait a little longer to return to Downton. Focus Features is pushing the North American release of “Downton Abbey 2” from Dec.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaDreamWorks Animation’s “The Boss Baby: Family Business” and Blumhouse and Universal’s “The Forever Purge” both netted $1.3 million each in Thursday previews.The two sequels, which appeal to vastly different segments of the moviegoing audience, will likely be overshadowed by the second weekend grosses of “F9,” which is expected to earn roughly $28 million over the July 4th holiday.

COVID-19 lockdown.Thus comes an official declaration: “Cinema is back!,” the franchise’s lead thespian, Vin Diesel, has announced in an official statement. A delayed theatrical release turned out to be the right move for the “Fast and Furious” sequel, the ninth in the franchise’s 20-year run.

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle EditorVin Diesel had plenty to celebrate on Saturday night.Not only did he place the winning bid of $70,000 for two court side seats at a Clippers game and a Breitling watch at a benefit for Charlize Theron‘s Africa Outreach Project (CTAOP), but “F9: The Fast Saga” broke the weekend box office record since the onset of the pandemic.

Even with close to 40% of the Canadian box office offline as Ontario remains closed until late July, and the Arclight/Pacific Theatres closed in L.A., the total weekend domestic box office came in at $98.08M per Comscore’s early Sunday AM estimate. Some distributors even have the weekend higher at $99.1M.

Fast & Furious 9 is set to break the pandemic-era box office record in the United States after a huge opening this weekend.The latest film in the record-breaking franchise hit cinemas worldwide this week, coming out in the UK on Thursday (June 24) and in the States the following day.According to Variety, the Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez-starring movie made $30million (£21.6m) across over 4,000 cinemas on its opening day, and is currently heading for an intake of $68m (£49m) on opening

The new Fast & Furious movie F9 is on track to setting a new record at the pandemic-era box office!