Moviegoers tend to be a lot more of a cynical bunch than they often get credit for, and Fast X has become merely the latest title to fall into a trap the Marvel Cinematic Universe has basically been making its own since the start of Phase Four.
Based on a running box office total of over $600 million and counting to go along with a Rotten Tomatoes audience approval rating of 84 percent, the numbers indicate that crowds were more than happy to hand over their money to see Dominic Toretto and the family embark on their latest adventure.
However, now that the 10th installment in the never-ending franchise is available on digital and on-demand, it’s ended up suffering the same fate as the likes of Marvel’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Thor: Love and Thunder, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever to name but three, after social media users gathered in their numbers to give it an absolute pounding.
That’s not to say Fast X should be held up as a bastion of cinema by any stretch, but you can almost set your watch to the target demographic showing up on opening weekend to propel any blockbuster to the top of the box office, only to change their mind once it swaps a big screen for a small one.
Louis Leterrier hasn’t delivered the finest entry in The Fast Saga by any means, but does it deserve to be pilloried mere moments after roaring into homes around the world? Maybe, but it’s always fascinating to see how quickly the tides end up turning.