Recent ‘Swift & Daring’ Debuts at $70 Million

I must confess that I have never placed significant emphasis on the Swift & Daring movies. The initial film didn’t capture my interest, and since then it has merely lingered in the background. However, I do recognize that they are clearly resonating with audiences, evident by the fact that there are now nine installments in the series, not to mention various spin-offs. The appeal seems to lie in the excitement of fast cars and explosive action, particularly when the current theater offerings are limited.

The latest addition to the Swift & Daring franchise, F9: The Fast Saga, premiered during the weekend and, like other recent releases, it achieved a record-breaking $70 million in domestic opening revenue. Not only did F9 achieve the highest opening weekend box office numbers since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, it also set an impressive box office milestone by surpassing 2019’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Collectively, F9 has garnered approximately $405 million worldwide to date.

The big screen experienced a phenomenal weekend! Thanks to the tremendous success of @UniversalPics F9, 2.0 million viewers watched a movie at @AMCTheatres from Thursday to Sunday in the U.S., with 2.5 million globally. These are RECORD-BREAKING numbers since the reopening of our cinemas. pic.twitter.com/Q6RrgHZNvc

— Adam Aron (@CEOAdam) June 28, 2021

The launch of F9 was initially slated for May 2020; however, Universal decided to postpone it once the pandemic escalated. This decision, at the time, received criticism from fans, investors, and even their own employees.

Donna Langley, chairwoman of Universal’s filmed entertainment group, recounted to CNN Business in December, “[Cinemas] were quite displeased with us as they believed we were overreacting. Even individuals internally questioned our decision.” She added, “However, we believed it was prudent to prepare for the worst while hoping for the best.”