Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Vin Diesel and Charlize Theon react as ‘perfect’ Fast and Furious 9 breaks pandemic box office record

‘It feels good to say, ‘Cinema is back,’ Diesel said

Jacob Stolworthy
Monday 28 June 2021 03:58 EDT
Comments
Fast and Furious 9 Trailer

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Vin Diesel and Charlize Theron have both reacted toFast and Furious 9s big success at the box office.

The ninth film in the franchise was finally released last week after Universal delayed it by a year – a decision that has paid off; the film has became the highest-grossing release since the pandemic.

Fast and Furious 9 broke the previous record held by John Krasinski’s A Quiet Place Part II, which amassed domestic takings of $48.3m (£34.6m) compared with F9’s $70m (£50m).

Diesel, speaking from the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project (CTAOP), told Variety: “I think what feels best is just the idea that people are returning to the theatrical experience. It feels good to say, ‘Cinema is back!’”

The actor, who has played Dom Toretto since 2001’s The Fast and the Furious, praised Universal for pushing forward with a cinema release as opposed to putting it on a subscription service.

“You can’t fault another studio for wanting to stream a movie, but the ones like Universal are bold enough to say, ‘Hey, we’re going to support the theatrical release’. I take my hat off to them,” he said.

Vin Diesel as Dom Toretto in ‘Fast and Furious 9’
Vin Diesel as Dom Toretto in ‘Fast and Furious 9’ (Universal Pictures)

Theron, who returns in the new film as the villain Cypher, said of the box office takings: “It’s amazing. Just thinking about the fact that they’re on their ninth movie, that’s pretty impressive.

“It’s a perfect movie to help us come back,” she added.

Fast and Furious 9 is in cinemas now.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in