When F9 made its domestic debut a couple of weeks ago, I made a note in my box office column that comparing its numbers to Black Widow would be significant for the industry, and that turns out to be very true.
The reason why that is particularly significant is that F9 was released as a theatrical exclusive, and didn’t provide options for fans to watch at home, even for a premium price.
While the latest installment of the Fast & Furious franchise made an impressive $70 million in its opening (beating out the previous record set by John Krasinski’s A Quiet Place Part II), Walt Disney Studios has officially announced that the Marvel blockbuster beat it by $10 million at the North American box office.
So while industry analysts were concerned that Disney+ Premier Access would take a devastating bite out of ticket sales for the new release, it turns out there was plenty of excitement from fans desiring to see the movie in an auditorium with a big screen and with premium sound.