Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw nears $600 million after bumper China box office opening

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw’s box office numbers received a shot of adrenaline this past weekend as the spinoff movie made its way to China, where it set an all-time August opening record with $120.4 million across the weekend.

The spinoff, directed by Deadpool 2’s David Leitch, is headlined by Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham, both of whom have a strong following in the Middle Kingdom, and audiences turned out in their numbers for the second biggest China debut of 2019 after Avengers: Endgame’s $176 million bow.

Hobbs & Shaw has now grossed $588 million worldwide, which leaves it trailing the last four instalments in the main series, although it should comfortably pass Fast Five’s $626.1 million within the next week.

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How much it will have left in the tank beyond that remains to be seen, but analysts are suggesting that it could go on to finish its run with around $750 million to $800 million, putting it in the same ballpark as Fast & Furious 6 ($788.7 million).

Ever since hulking lawman Hobbs (Johnson), a loyal agent of America’s Diplomatic Security Service, and lawless outcast Shaw (Statham), a former British military elite operative, first faced off in 2015’s Furious 7, the duo have swapped smack talk and body blows as they’ve tried to take each other down.

But when cyber-genetically enhanced anarchist Brixton (Idris Elba) gains control of an insidious bio-threat that could alter humanity forever — and bests a brilliant and fearless rogue MI6 agent (The Crown’s Vanessa Kirby), who just happens to be Shaw’s sister — these two sworn enemies will have to partner up to bring down the only guy who might be badder than themselves.

Hobbs & Shaw blasts open a new door in the Fast universe as it hurtles action across the globe, from Los Angeles to London and from the toxic wasteland of Chernobyl to the lush beauty of Samoa.