If there’s one movie that will not be budging from its release date amidst the coronavirus outbreak, it’s Fast & Furious 9. That’s according to star Vin Diesel, at least.
While promoting his new effort Bloodshot, which releases this week, the action star spoke about the prospect of his most lucrative franchise, Fast & Furious, having to move due to the threat of it taking a hit at the international box office, saying:
“Let me put it to you this way: ‘Bloodshot’ at the end of the day is a soldier and a soldier doesn’t decide or pick when or where he’s deployed. We’re going to go in.”
Honestly, comparing your movie’s release date to being a soldier in war really annoys me. In no way should that be a comparison.
Diesel then went on to talk about the importance of the movie-going experience in general, saying:
“We need movies now more than ever. We’re already in a very interesting time where cinema and the cinematic experience is so threatened. So, yes, put it on the record we’re going to show up.”
Is he still talking about the coronavirus, or streaming? I can’t tell. This could all be a mute point when it comes to F9 anyways, as it doesn’t hit theaters for another two months and hopefully by then the outbreak will have been contained.
Bloodshot’s box office prospects, meanwhile, are another story. It releases this Friday and lacks the brand recognition that Fast & Furious carries. Yes, the trailer is awesome, but Diesel has had a hard time opening a movie that isn’t a pre-existing IP and theaters closing across the globe doesn’t help its chances.
In fact, it’s been a tough couple of weeks for the movie industry in general. SXSW was cancelled last week due to a number of exhibitors pulling out of the event and MGM and Universal are moving the release date for No Time To Die from April to November.
But rest assured. Nobody’s stopping Dom and his family from driving fast, blowing shit up and preventing world destruction. Not even some virus.
Fast & Furious 9 opens May 22nd, 2020.