F9 (film)

Did You Know?

• F9 was released on Blu-ray, Ultra HD Blu-ray, and DVD on September 21, 2021, featuring a theatrical version and a director's cut 7 minutes longer.
• The film was the fourth most pirated film of 2021, according to tech firm Akami.
• F9 was released on HBO Max on March 4, 2022.

Plot

In 1989, Jack Toretto races on a short track with his sons Dom and Jakob in the pit crew. A week later, Dom beats Linder nearly to death and is arrested. While serving his sentence, Dom recalls that Jakob had worked on Jack's engine the day he died and concludes Jakob killed their father. Upon release, Dom challenges Jakob to a race; Jakob loses and is forced to leave Los Angeles.

In the present, Dom is retired with his wife Letty and son Brian. Roman, Tej, and Ramsey arrive with news that Mr. Nobody's plane was attacked after arresting Cipher; Cipher was abducted and the plane crashed in Montequinto. Dom agrees to help after learning Jakob is involved. Searching the plane, they find part of a device called Project Aries, which can hack any computer weapons system.

Jakob ambushes them and steals the device. Michael Stasiak helps the crew escape to a safe house at the Caspian Sea. Mia arrives to help. The team learns Han Lue is connected to Project Aries; Letty and Mia leave for Tokyo.

Jakob meets with his financier Otto. Cipher, held at their base, tells Jakob the other half of Aries is in Edinburgh. Dom meets his father's mechanic Buddy and learns Jakob is in London. In Tokyo, Letty and Mia find Han alive with his ward Elle.

Roman and Tej go to Germany to recruit Sean Boswell, Twinkie, and Earl, who have built a rocket car. In London, Dom meets Queenie Shaw, who gives him Jakob's location. Dom confronts Otto and Jakob at a party; Otto has Dom arrested, but Leysa rescues him. Tej, Roman, and Ramsey join Dom in Edinburgh, where Jakob uses an electromagnet to steal the other half of Aries. Tej and Roman find the truck with the electromagnet; Ramsey commandeers the truck to chase Otto.

Cast

Vin Diesel portrays Dominic Toretto, a retired former criminal and street racer living with his wife Letty and son Brian Marcos. Diesel's son Vincent Sinclair plays a young Dominic, and Vinnie Bennett portrays a teenage Dominic. Michelle Rodriguez plays Letty Ortiz, Dom's wife and a former criminal and street racer; Azia Dinea Hale portrays a young Letty. Tyrese Gibson plays Roman Pearce, an ex-habitual offender and expert street racer.

Ludacris (credited as Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges) plays Tej Parker, a mechanic from Miami. John Cena plays Jakob Toretto, Dom and Mia's estranged brother who works as a master thief, assassin, and high-performance driver; Finn Cole portrays a young Jakob. Nathalie Emmanuel plays Megan Ramsey, a British computer hacktivist. Jordana Brewster plays Mia Toretto, Dom and Jakob's sister; Siena Agudong portrays a young Mia.

Sung Kang plays Han Lue, a team member believed dead. Michael Rooker plays Buddy, an auto mechanic with ties to Dom's past. Kurt Russell plays Mr. Nobody, an intelligence operative. Charlize Theron plays Cipher, a criminal mastermind and cyberterrorist.

Thue Ersted Rasmussen plays Otto, Jakob's financier. Anna Sawai plays Elle Lue, Han's adoptive daughter. J. D. Pardo plays Jack Toretto, Jim Parrack plays Kenny Linder, Martyn Ford plays Sue, and Cardi B plays Leysa. Lucas Black, Don Omar, and Shea Whigham reprise roles as Sean Boswell, Santos, and Agent Michael Stasiak.

Shad Moss and Jason Tobin reprise roles as Twinkie and Earl. Jason Statham appears uncredited as Deckard Shaw during the end credits. Bad Bunny appears as Lookout. Gal Gadot appears as Gisele Yashar through archival footage.

Production

Universal Pictures chairwoman Donna Langley confirmed in November 2014 that talks had happened about making three more films after Furious 7. Vin Diesel backed that up in September 2015, hinting those three movies might wrap up the main series. James Wan was under contract to direct both The Fate of the Furious and this ninth installment, but the studio released him when he said he wanted to work on The Conjuring 2 and turned down both films because the exhausting production of the seventh movie had worn him out.

In October 2017, Diesel announced via Facebook live that Justin Lin, who had directed every entry from Tokyo Drift through Fast & Furious 6, would come back to direct this film and Fast X. Daniel Casey took over writing duties in May 2018 after Chris Morgan left to focus on Hobbs & Shaw. Neal H. Moritz returned as producer after being sidelined from Hobbs & Shaw due to a falling-out with Universal. Diesel and Dwayne Johnson both said in April 2017 that they would be back.

Jordana Brewster was confirmed in October 2017 to reprise her role as Mia Toretto for the ninth and tenth movies. By April 2018, Johnson was uncertain about returning because of his work on Hobbs & Shaw, and in January 2019 he confirmed that neither he nor Jason Statham would appear; Statham did end up making a brief cameo during the mid-credits scene. John Cena was officially cast in June 2019, following an earlier tease from Diesel in April. Finn Cole, Anna Sawai, and Vinnie Bennett joined the cast in July.

That same month, Helen Mirren and Charlize Theron were announced to return, along with Michelle Rodriguez. Michael Rooker and MMA fighter Francis Ngannou were added in August, and Ozuna and Cardi B signed on in October.

Reception

F9 earned a total of $726.2 million worldwide, with $173 million from the US and Canada and $553.2 million from other markets, making it the fifth highest-grossing film of 2021. In North America, initial projections placed its opening weekend between $55 and $65 million across 4,179 theaters. It pulled in $30 million on its first day, including $7.1 million from Thursday previews—both records for the pandemic era—and opened to $70 million, the biggest weekend since The Rise of Skywalker in December 2019.

The audience was diverse: 37% Hispanic, 35% Caucasian, 16% Black, and 8% Asian, with 51% under 25 and 57% male. The second weekend saw a 65% drop to $23 million, but it stayed number one. Along with The Boss Baby: Family Business and The Forever Purge, Universal claimed the top three spots for the first time since February 2005. F9 crossed $100 million domestically and $500 million internationally faster than any other pandemic-era film.

It earned $11.4 million in its third weekend, losing the top spot to Black Widow, then $7.6 million in its fourth, finishing fourth. Internationally, its five-day opening across eight countries, including China, Russia, and South Korea, was projected at $160–180 million but came in at $163 million—the biggest Hollywood international opening since the pandemic began. It also set a pandemic IMAX record of $14 million and ranked as the second-biggest May international opening ever.

Leading markets were China ($136 million), South Korea ($9.9 million), Russia ($8.3 million), Saudi Arabia ($2.67 million), and the UAE ($2.64 million). In its second international weekend, it added $30.8 million.