Fast X Expected to Drive Circles Around Box Office with Nearly $300 Million Debut

The fortune inside the vault Dominic Toretto and Brian O'Conner stole from drug lord Hernan Reyes a decade ago is about to look like measly chump change when compared to the opening box office numbers of Fast X.

According to Deadline, the penultimate chapter in the 22-year-old Fast & Furious series could fill up the proverbial gas tank with around $295 million worldwide ($235 million internationally and $60 million domestically) once it opens on the big screen this weekend.

The Fate of the Furious — the first entry produced after the untimely death of Paul Walker — still holds the record for largest Fast Saga opening with $532.5 million globally (the biggest worldwide debut in box office history until Avengers: Infinity War released a year later).

RELATED: First Reactions to Fast X Praise Jason Momoa's Scene-Stealing Turn as 'Joker-Level' Villain Dante

"As a film series, Fast & Furious is often marginalized — perhaps due to the over-the-top nature of the storytelling and its status as pure popcorn entertainment. However, this does not do justice to the importance of this franchise in cinematic history,"  Paul Dergarabedian, Senior Media Analyst at Comscore, tells SYFY WIRE. "For over two decades, the films of the Fast & Furious universe have been entertaining and thrilling audiences around the world to the tune of over $6.63 billion in box office."

He continues: "Fast X, which reflects the addition of new stars and characters over the past few films, is poised for a solid debut and long-term playability in a summer movie marketplace loaded with big-budget action films. For Fast X, it’s not so much about the opening weekend quarter-mile box office sprint, but the endurance race to the box office checkered flag."

Louis Leterrier (The Transporter, Now You See Me) took over the movie last year following the sudden departure of writer/producer Justin Lin, who has been a regular member of the franchise's creative team since Tokyo Drift.

Universal is clearly pleased with Leterrier's work on Fast X, as it's already been confirmed he'll return as director for the 11th and (perhaps) final installment scheduled to hit theaters sometime in 2025. However, Vin Diesel sent the fandom into a frenzy last week after hinting that this last stretch of road might become a trilogy.

"Diesel's recent hints that the two-part finale might be stretched into three films wouldn't be shocking if proven true, given the franchise's lengthy tenure to date," says Shawn Robbins, Chief Analyst at Boxoffice Pro. "However, if that's going to happen, it will be dependent on international box office for Fast X. The series has seen diminishing returns around the world over the course of the last three films — including Hobbs & Shaw — and most noticeably in the domestic market. Still, for a franchise that commands around three-fourths of its global ticket sales from outside North America, it remains a lucrative property for Universal, even if this is the post-peak Fast era."

Fast X hits the big screen this Friday, May 19. Need tickets? Click here!

Relive a small portion of the Fast Saga with Furious 7 — now streaming now on Peacock. If you want to catch up on the full story, however, click right here for our nifty guide on where to stream the first nine installments (plus Hobbs & Shaw).