The Fast & Furious franchise is in an interesting place right now. After reviving itself with Fast Five, the franchise has been incredibly profitable and surprisingly well-received by critics too. The Fate of the Furious however was a noticeable step down for the franchise, leading Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham to break away from the series with their spinoff Hobbs and Shaw. These factors make Fast & Furious 9 an important film for the franchise as it tries to keep driving along.
Well it appears the wait for Furious 9 is going to be a little bit longer. Originally scheduled to release April 10, 2020, the film is now set to be released on May 22, 2020. This is a slight departure for the series, as the last two films in the franchise were released in early April respectively.
Universal has just announced that ‘Fast & Furious 9’ (still to be titled) will drive from its Easter weekend April 10, 2020 release date to May 22, 2020, which is Memorial Day weekend https://t.co/tM4Hb5kKD8
— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) February 15, 2019
Financially, this move has some interesting ramifications. With the recent news of the new James Bond film being delayed into April 8, 2020, its a move that makes a lot of sense on paper. April in a lot of ways has become an extension of the summer movie season, with more and more blockbusters targeting it as a good time to make a profit before Marvel drops their latest film.
It’s not like the film’s new slot is any less competitive though, as a Spongebob sequel along with the much-anticipated Godzilla/Kong crossover film also releasing on that date. My gut feeling is that at least one of these films will move, with my guess being Godzilla/Kong because it shares a similar audience to Furious 9.
What do you think of this news? Be sure to tell us all of your thoughts in the comments down below!