On May 21, "Fast and Furious 9" officially premiered in China, and lighthouse data showed that the Chinese box office had exceeded 200 million on that day.
"Fast and Furious 9" was painted in China more than 4 weeks earlier than in North America (June 25), which shows the filmmakers' confidence in the Chinese market.
Fast & Furious 9 poster.
In 2009, China first introduced "Fast and Furious 4", with a box office of only 27.47 million yuan (RMB), after which "Fast and Furious 5" and "Fast and Furious 6" earned 250 million and 410 million box offices, respectively, and "Fast and Furious 7" and "Fast and Furious 8" both earned 2.42 billion and 2.67 billion yuan respectively. Fast & Furious 8 was second only to Wolf Warrior 2 in China that year, far higher than the film's North American box office ($226 million).
In the "Fast and Furious" media connection interview, the lead actor Van Diesel was full of emotions about the "Fast and Furious" series for 20 years. Painting in China ahead of schedule is because they see Chinese audiences as their own family, and early release is "a thank you to your family."
Stills from Fast & Furious 9.
Van Diesel said that the "Fast and Furious" series has witnessed his growth, and the biggest gain is "the feeling of home". Van Diesel was not yet a father when he first joined the Fast and Furious series, and this time his son Vincent also made a cameo appearance as a childhood Donald in Fast & Furious 9.
Van Diesel did not skimp on the scene of his love for China, and released a big fierce material: "Fast and Furious 10" will be partially filmed in China, which brings a huge surprise to Chinese film fans who like the "Fast and Furious" series.
Reporter: Because the film opens with the death of Donald's father, a return to a scene from the first part of "Fast and Furious" 20 years ago. Do you see that these opening scenes have a different feeling than when you made the first one?
VAN DIESEL: I think going back to a certain scene in the first film and having the opportunity to dig deeper into that scene is something I think is very special for me. Because 20 years later, in a way, we have a story about the origin of Donald, how did Donald become such a person now? So I'm very excited about this, and I also think that the fans who have been following "Quick Shock" for 20 years will also enjoy such a scene, to be able to shuttle to a scene like the first movie, to deepen their understanding of the scene at that time.
Reporter: From "Fast and Furious 1" to "Fast and Furious 9", what has been your biggest gain in these 20 years?
VAN DIESEL: I think I can answer that question for hours. The theme of family is a very central part of the Fast and Furious series. People often say that we are like a family, whether we are on the set or in front of the camera. Fast & Furious has witnessed my fatherhood, which is why it's so natural to capture the father-son relationship of Donald in front of the camera. Because it has been witnessing my process of becoming a father for over the past 20 years, my real takeaway is this feeling of family. This is very rare in Hollywood. This kind of family warmth has contributed to our success in the film. That's why China has been very supportive of our Fast & Furious series, because I think Chinese audiences also attach great importance to family, and they can understand the theme of family.
Reporter: Can you share something that impressed you in the process of film creation?
Van Diesel: I've been to Beijing before for the fast and furious promotion, and I admire the spirit of China and the subtle beauty of China. Here, I may have to leak some chances, so director Lin Yibin may be angry with me, and there is no way to go home to see the child at night. Because it's night on my side, I really want to talk about it, we're going to put part of The Fast and Furious 10 in China, which has always been a dream for us, and we've been talking about the possibility of shooting in China for the last 15 years. I believe that Chinese fans who like the "Fast and Furious" series will be very excited.
Written by: Nandu reporter Xu Xiaolei intern Yu Xin