'Fast 8' on fastest track to reap China's box office gold

A scene fromFast and Furious 8.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Its phenomenal performance in China also helped elevate the film's international box office total to a new level. It grossed an estimated $100.2 million in the North American market, and premiered in over 60 international markets, box office tracking website BoxofficeMojo.com reports.

Combined with the North American opening and China's revenues, the film now has a record $532.5 million worldwide debut, breaking the previous record of $529 million held by another titan, Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

With this weekend's earnings, the Fast and Furious franchise has now amassed nearly $4.5 billion worldwide from all eight of its feature films and there are more to come with Fast and Furious 9 planned for 2019 and a tenth installment set for a 2021 release.

The Fate of the Furious, directed by F. Gary Gray and stars Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris Bridges, Nathalie Emmanuel, Kurt Russell, Scott Eastwood, Helen Mirren and Charlize Theron, will challenge its predecessor Furious 7 which grossed a stunning 2.42 billion yuan ($391 million) in China and also further challenged the highest grossing film ever in China, Mermaid, which eventually grossed 3.39 billion yuan ($517.3 million).