Hey, Everybody! Welcome to Going Bionic #188. I hope you had a wonderfully happy, healthy and safe Thanksgiving weekend. Before we get started, I’d like to offer my condolences to the family, friends and fans of Paul Walker, who lost his life in a car accident while returning home from a charity event over the weekend. May he rest in peace.

In honor of Paul Walker, today we’re examining the phenomenon of the Fast and Furious series, and how they’ve raced their way to box office gold since 2001. These six films have earned a worldwide box office total of $2.384 billion, all from budgets totaling $569 million. That’s an average of  earing $360,061,933 per film, on average budgets of $81,285,714. Obviously, such earnings have made the series one of the highest grossing motion picture franchises in history.

So, without further ado, let’s race into the worldwide success of The Fast and Furious series of films.

The Fast and The Furious – (Released June 22, 2001)
With a budget of $38 million, the first installment of the series won its opening weekend by making $40,089,015 on 2,628 screens, which is a $15,254 per screen average. The film went on to make $144,533,925 domestically and another $62,750,000 internationally, totaling $207,283,925. Clearly, such a start would guarantee a sequel.

2 Fast 2 Furious – (Released – June 6, 2003)
The second edition of the Fast and Furious series had a $76 million dollar budget, which is double than the first. This picture also won its opening weekend by making $50,472,480 on 3,408 screens, which is a $14,810 per screen average. The film made $127,154,901 domestically, and another $109,195,760 domestically, totaling $236,350,661 worldwide.

When comparing the first two films, the second made about $29 million more than the first, which was largely due to it’s opening weekend, which made $10 million, or 25% more.

However, 2 Fast 2 Furious did cost $38 million more than The Fast and the Furious, and the per screen average for 2 Fast 2 Furious was slightly less than the first film. Of course, the big picture earnings for the first two films warranted a triplet.

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (Released June 16, 2006)
With an $85 million dollar budget, the third installment of the series signaled the first financial dip in the series. This picture earned only earned $23,973,840 on 3,027 screens, which is a meager $7,920 per screen average. Furthermore, the film only mustered $62,514,415 domestically. However, it did earn $95,953,877 internationally, making it the first picture in the series to have its foreign box office surpass its domestic take. In total, Tokyo Drift earned $158,468,292 worldwide.

* One thing to know is that this film also earned $40,681,864 in DVD sales, which certainly went a long way in helping to secure the continuation of the series.

Fast and Furious (Released April 3, 2009)
The fourth edition of the Fast and Furious series smartly moved its release date up by 2 1/2 months, in order to capture more box office dollars when there isn’t nearly the competition that there is in June. The move worked, because the $85 million dollar budgeted film won its opening weekend by making $70,950,500 on 3,401 screens, giving it an astounding $20,500 per screen average. The film went on to make $155,064,265 domestically and $201,100,000 internationally, giving it a worldwide total of $363,164,265. For the second time in a row, the foreign box office surpassed the domestic take, which said quite a bit at the time, because this film had the largest domestic box office total in the series to date.

Fast Five (Released April 29, 2011)
The fifth film in this series cost $125 million to make. The hike in budget was clearly rewarded, because the film won the box office on its opening weekend by making $86,198,765 on 3,644 screens, which is a phenomenal $23,655 per screen average. The picture went on to earn $209,837,765 domestically and $416,300,000 internationally, giving it a worldwide box office total of $626,137,675. By this point in the series, it became apparent that the Fast and Furious series was earning far more money internationally than domestically, as Fast Five was the third consecutive film in the series to do so.

Fast and Furious 6  (Released May 29, 2013)
The most recent release of the series cost $160 million to make, and earned $97,375,245 on 3,658 screens on its opening weekend, which won the box office for the fifth time in the six releases. The picture also enjoyed a $26,620 per screen average, which was the highest in the series. Furthermore, it earned $238,679,850 domestically and $550,000,000 internationally (both of which were the highest in the series) giving it a worldwide total of $788,679,850. Clearly, this picture’s performance insures the future of the franchise.

Fast and Furious 7 (Current Release Date is July 11, 2014)
While Universal Studios has stated that this picture will continue to be maid following the untimely death of Paul Walker, it will also most likely have a delayed release date.

Trends of The Fast and Furious Series
The following trends have emerged from this series:

Okay, filmmakers. That’s what I have for you today. Thank you for lending me your eyes, and I’d be honored to borrow them again next Tuesday. Until then, I hope you have a great week. I can be followed on Twitter @Lonelyseal.