The subject was fast cars
“The Fate of the Furious” will hit theaters on April 14, the eighth installment in the Fast and the Furious series. There have been many franchises that gone this far, and moviegoers were too exhausted and have no interest at this point. Neal H. Moritz, who produced all eight films, had shown that there could be a tenth, if not eleventh, movie. It would be a combination of many things, and one of which had to do with the death of Paul Walker. It was supposed to be a fitting end to the franchise, but Hollywood studios wouldn't say no if there could be any chance of a box-office success. And the eighth film seemed to show new energy injected into the series. (Best Actress Oscar winners Charlize Theron and Helen Mirren would join old-time cast members Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, and Tyrese Gibson.) Moviegoers have long been fascinated with fast cars as well.
It should be noted that not all films featuring fast cars (or race car driving) finished first in the box-office race, which would show that Moritz was thinking about the bigger picture. Furthermore, Universal Pictures was wise to release most of the sequels before the summer blockbuster season or the eve of summer. Perhaps the studio did the right thing for not letting the cars compete with the superheroes, and Universal rather wanted to play it safe. Let's go to the other side.
There were some motion pictures (on fast cars or race car driving) that bombed at the box office. Some were lucky to gain a cult following through the years while the others drifted into oblivion. These movies deserved to be recalled once more, as the producers of the Fast and the Furious series would have seen and learned from it. Take a look:
Sahara (1983) by Andrew McLaglen. Brooke Shields was a box-office draw during her early years, so her fans were surprised why this adventure drama was a massive box-office bomb. Screenwriter James R. Silke thought of an old Hollywood yarn, and the likes of Katharine Hepburn would be good enough to attract the male-dominated audience. But the same audience may find it hard to believe a pretty thing could win the African Auto Race and marry a sheik (played by French actor Lambert Wilson). Either way, "Sahara" was in serious trouble making it to the starting line.
Ronin (1998) by John Frankenheimer. This spy action-thriller was notable for the numerous car chasing scenes particularly the last one that saw the cars zooming through the streets and tunnels of Paris. This wasn't Frankenheimer's nod to "The French Connection", as the filmmaker was once a race car driver himself. This particular scene wowed the critics, but the film broke even in the box-office. Robert De Niro was a great actor, but he was hardly a box-office draw.
Speed Racer (2008) by the Wachowski Brothers. After the global success of the Matrix trilogy, Larry and Andy Wachowski adapted a Japanese animated franchise to the big screen. And this might be the heart of the problem. Tatsuo Yoshida's creation had a loyal following, and Americanizing it wasn't a good idea at all. (See “Ghost in the Shell”.) In fairness to the sibling, they turned Yoshida's work into an eye candy. It may be too much, but the Wachowskis did the same thing in the Matrix trilogy. The eye-popping, colorful visuals sometimes overshadowed the cars, even Emile Hirsch who played the titular character. "Speed Racer" did bite the dust.
Disney and Pixar have similar success as Universal, as “Cars 3” would zoom past the big screen this summer. It would show that older moviegoers have no place for this kind of film.
