It may have been good timing, or good business strategy, but either way F9 could be the film that looks most likely to rescue the movie business this summer.

F9 raced to a box office haul of $70 million in its first weekend, which is the biggest opening for a film since the pandemic began, according to studio estimates Sunday. The ninth installment in the Fast & Furious franchise, directed by Justin Lin and starring Vin Diesel, John Cena and Michelle Rodriguez, opened in theaters only with the widest release of any movie since the start of pandemic lockdowns.

The domestic take for F9 topped the previous pandemic-best of $48.4 million for A Quiet Place Part II four weeks ago. It was the biggest opening of any film since Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker in December 2019. The big weekend also adds to the film’s already strong global haul. F9 has now made $405 million around the world since opening internationally last month.

The Universal hit may not have impressed critics, but fans rated it 84% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and graded it a B+ on CinemaScore. Universal shelved the film, originally set for a May 2020 release, as soon as the pandemic hit, which was an unpopular choice at that time. Could this be the movie that jump-starts an industry recovery?

Maybe, but unlike F9, upcoming big releases, including Universal’s family film The Boss Baby 2 on July 2nd, Marvel’s superhero spinoff Black Widow on July 9th, the Warner Bros. sequel Space Jam: A New Legacy on July 16th, Disney’s action adventure Jungle Cruise on July 30th and The Suicide Squad, also from Warner, on August 6th, will be released on streaming services the same day they debut in theaters, which may limit the number of record opening weekends on the horizon according to industry experts.

With $6.3 billion in revenue over the span of its 10 chapters, the Fast & Furious series is now the fifth highest-grossing film franchise of all time. 

As for the other box office results, A Quiet Place Part II came in a very distant second with $6.2 million, though it has now earned $136.4 million since its release. The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard brought in $4.88 million in the third spot. Peter Rabbit 2 in its third week and Cruella in its fifth week scored fourth and fifth place respectively, with $4.9 and $3.7 million dollars each.