With the release of Fast X in May 2023, the Fast and Furious movies sped past $7 billion at the box office to consolidate its position as Universal Picture’s leading asset. The franchise debuted in 2001 with a story that centered on street racing. However, it has evolved over the years to capture viewers’ imaginations with a variety of storylines woven into the family bond between Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto and his crew.
From heist missions to stopping global threats, the films’ action-driven narratives provide great entertainment value, making them a favorite staple for action buffs. Eleven Fast movies have been released thus far, with Fast X winding up the saga for a grand finale scheduled for 2026. Already in the works, Fast XI will return the franchise to Los Angeles where the story began.
1. The Fast and the Furious (2001)
The first film that started it all, The Fast and the Furious was inspired by Ken Li’s Vibe magazine article about urban drag racing, which revolved around Rafael Estevez, a Dominican drag racer from Washington Heights, New York. Directed by Rob Cohen, the film established the relationship between Dominic Toretto and Paul Walker’s Brian O’Conner, an LA undercover police officer who falls in love with the street racing group he was investigating. The Fast and the Furiousreceived mixed reviews but grossed over $207 million against a budget of $38 million.
2. 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)
With the commercial success of The Fast and the Furious, Universal Picture quickly ordered a sequel. However, Cohen and Diesel opted to make 2002’s XXX, leading to a standalone sequel with a new director—John Singleton, pairing Paul Walker’s character with Tyrese Gibson’s Roman Pearce. 2 Fast 2 Furious follows Brian on a mission to redeem himself after helping Dom escape the authorities in The Fast and the Furious’ ending.
He recruits Roman, his street-racing childhood friend for what must be done: infiltrating a criminal organization to aid the arrest of Cole Hauser’s Carter Verone, a notorious drug lord. The film received negative reviews but was commercially successful. It was nominated for Golden Raspberry’s Worst Remake or Sequel and Worst Excuse for an Actual Movie. Yet it grossed over $236 million against its $78 million production budget.
3. The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006)
Also a standalone sequel, Tokyo Drift stars Lucas Black as Sean Boswell alongside Bow Wow, Sung Kang’s Han Lue, Brian Tee, and Nathalie Kelley. The third installment in the Fast & Furious franchise follows Sean Boswell’s exploits in Tokyo’s drift racing scene. With Justin Lin as the director, Tokyo Drift was released in June 2006 to mixed reviews. While fans appreciated its impressive driving sequence, critics bashed the screenplay and portrayal of the characters. Tokyo Drift is the lowest-grossing film in the series. It managed $159 million against a production budget of $85 million.
4. Fast & Furious (2009)
Although Tokyo Drift’s box office performance didn’t measure up to the first two films, its financial success was enough for Universal Pictures to announce a fourth film in July 2007. The fourth installment in the franchise, Fast & Furious served as a sequel to The Fast and the Furious and 2 Fast 2 Furious. This meant the return of favorite actors of the movie series, with Diesel and Walker’s characters working together to stop a ruthless drug lord — John Ortiz’s Arturo Braga. Against a production budget of $85 million, Fast & Furious grossed over $360 million to become the franchise’s highest-grossing film at the time.
5. Fast Five (2011)
A sequel to Fast & Furious, Fast Five introduced Dwayne Johnson’s Luke Hobbs to the franchise. The action crime thriller directed by Justin Lin follows Dom and Brian as they pull off a massive heist, stealing $100 million from a drug kingpin, Joaquim de Almeida’s Hernan Reyes. With DSS’ Luke Hobbs hot on their heels, the crew of thieves must get past the U.S. government and the notorious Brazillian drug lord to start the new life they want.
Fast Fivewas released in April 2011 to enthusiastic response and is widely regarded as the franchise’s best offering. It grossed over $626 million against a production budget of $125 million, becoming one of 2011’s highest-grossing movies. The film won five World Stunt Awards out of eight nominations.
6. Fast & Furious 6 (2013)
Also directed by Justin Lin, the sixth installment in the franchise picked up from Fast Five.It tells a sequel story about Dom and Brian teaming up with DSS’ Luke Hobbs. As they embark on a mission to take down a crew of mercenaries led by Luke Evans’ Owen Shaw, Dom reconnects with Letty Ortiz (Michelle Rodriguez), his wife who supposedly died in 2009’s Fast & Furious. Like Fast Five, Fast & Furious 6 was released to positive approval ratings. It was also a commercial success that grossed over $788 million to become one of 2013’s highest-grossing films.
7. Furious 7 (2015)
With the death of Paul Walker in November 2013, Furious 7 was an emotional roller coaster for the Fast & Furious fandom. Already in the works when the Brian O’Conner actor passed away, his younger brothers stepped in to complete his remaining scenes. Alongside Walker, Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson returned for the seventh installment, with Jason Statham’s Deckard Shaw as the main villain.
He goes after the Fast family, seeking revenge for Owen Shaw, his brother who fell into a coma in Fast & Furious 6. The film directed byJames Wanis also a sequel to Tokyo Drift. It received positive reviews and performed beyond expectations at the box office. Furious 7 grossed over $1.5 billion to become the franchise’s highest-grossing film and the third-highest-grossing film of 2015.
8. The Fate of the Furious (2017)
Following Paul Walker’s death, The Fate of the Furious took a daring leap forward, pitting Dom against his family. The Furious 7 sequel stars Charlize Theron’s Cipher as the villain, a cyberterrorist who kidnapped Dom’s ex and son to compel him into working for her. F8 reunited the franchise’s stars, including Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham in a fast-paced mission to rescue Cipher’s victims and stop her from starting a nuclear war. While The Fate of the Furious was released to mixed reviews, it was a box office success. The film directed byF. Gary Garygrossed over $1.2 billion to become the third-highest-grossing movie of 2017.
9. Hobbs & Shaw (2019)
paired Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham’s characters against Brixton Lore, a cyber-genetically enhanced villain played by Idris Elba. Hobbs & Shaw also introduced Deckard and Owen Shaw’s younger sister Hattie Shaw (Vanessa Kirby) to the franchise, with cameo appearances from Kevin Hart and Ryan Reynolds. Directed by David Leitch, the ninth installment in the film series was released to mixed reviews and positive approval ratings. Hobbs & Shaw grossed over $760 million at the box office against a production cost of $200 million.
10. F9: The Fast Saga (2021)
Justin Lin returned as director for F9 with John Cena joining the franchise to play the villain Jakob Toretto. The film follows Dom and his crew as they band together to stop an international terrorist who happens to be Jakob, Dom and Mia’s estranged brother. A direct sequel to The Fate of the Furious, F9 was released to mixed reviews. It was nominated for Saturn’s Best Action/Adventure Film and Golden Schmoes’ Worst Movie of the Year. Yet it was a box office hit that raked in over $726 million to become one of the highest-grossing films of 2021.
11. Fast X (2023)
Directed by Louis Leterrier, the F9 sequel revisited 2011’s Fast Five, anchoring its events on the death of Hernan Reyes and the $100 million stolen from the drug kingpin. Fast X introduced Jason Momoa as Hernan’s son Dante Reyes. As the main villain, he goes after Dom and everyone involved in the death of his father.
The film’s ensemble cast saw John Cena, Jason Statham, and Charlize Theron return to reprise their roles, with cameo appearances from Gal Gadot and Dwayne Johnson. Released to mixed reviews and positive ratings, Fast X was one of 2023’s top-grossing films. It amassed over $714 million at the box office against its production budget of $378.8 million. Check out why Fast XI should hit the brakes for good.
