Box Office: ‘Fast & Furious’ Spinoff ‘Hobbs & Shaw’ Eyes $65 Million Opening Weekend

By Rebecca Rubin

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Universal’s “Fast & Furious” spinoff “Hobbs & Shaw” looks to rev up the box office when it arrives on the big screen next month. According to early tracking, the tentpole should earn between $55 million and $65 million over the Aug. 2 weekend.

“” could have heavy competition from two holdovers, Disney’s “The Lion King,” bowing July 19, and Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” hitting theaters a week before Universal’s blockbuster-hopeful. However, hype surrounding the action franchise could drive opening weekend ticket sales even higher than projections. “Hobbs & Shaw” won’t have any direct rivals, since other studios avoided launching a movie nationwide against the popular property.

The current range would rank on the lower end for a “” installment, but “Hobbs & Shaw” marks the first spinoff of the franchise, making comparisons tougher. “Furious 7” holds the biggest opening weekend with a massive $147 million, while the smallest belongs to 2006’s “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift” with $23 million.

The eight films in the “Fast & Furious” series have collected almost $5 billion worldwide. “Furious 7” is the highest-grossing entry to date with $1.5 billion, followed closely by 2017’s “The Fate of the Furious” with $1.2 billion.

In “Hobbs & Shaw,” Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham, reprising their roles as Luke Hobbs and Deckard Shaw, team up to take down a cyber-genetically enhanced anarchist, played by Idris Elba. The cast also includes Helen Mirren and Vanessa Kirby.

“Deadpool 2” filmmaker David Leitch directed “Hobbs & Shaw,” which was written by series veterans Chris Morgan and Drew Pearce.

“Hobbs & Shaw” opens day-and-date across the globe in most international markets, followed by China on Aug. 23.