Sunday, April 28, 2013

Fast & Furious 6: Box Office Predictions

2011’s Fast Five renovated the Fast and Furious franchise and extended its brand name and audience beyond that of hard core fans only. This process was effectively done by focusing more on the plot line
rather than the cars. Nonetheless, the balance between the two was just right that it quenched hard core fans and interested the mainstream audience as well. Fast and Furious 6’s new location should be a good booster for the franchise by bringing in something new. Most sequels that do so often follow a propitious theatrical run.

Trailers of the film give a strong-based promotion for the film that once again not only focuses on the cars but the plot, the characters, and action sequences. The diversification of those elements plays a big role in attracting a larger audience.  An apt example at effective marketing is the addition of the Fast Six trailer to the Super Bowls whereby the demographic profile matches the target market (i.e. the advertising is targeted at audiences that favor both).

Accounting for the new “London” setting, a higher gross in the UK should be expected. And considering that the UK has a relatively high percentage in the international market; the film should easily maintain Fast Five’s foreign gross if not supersede it. Including the strong name that the franchise has cemented with its predecessor and the expanding international markets, the sixth installment is poised to gross more than $450 million internationally.

In North America, however, the movie schedule is rather crowded. But, Fast Six and Star Trek Into Darkness don’t have obvious and major overlaps in the general audience based on the genres and tones of the films.The more concerning opponent is Hangover Part III which also targets the same audience. Even with the competition, the latest movie in the car-action franchise should perform well in the box office. Expect,
North American Forecast: $219 million
International Forecast: $487 million
Worldwide: $706 million