Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges has called people out for questioning the constant release of Fast and Furious movies.
He says the reason Universe keeps making them is obvious – because the franchise is a golden goose.
Most people know this, of course, but it’s the first time somebody that’s directly involved in the making of the movie has said it in clear terms.
READ MORE: Vin Diesel says a female-led Fast and Furious movie is coming
A few days ago, Ludacris sat down with hosts Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson for an episode of the ‘All The Smoke’ podcast.
The 45-year-old rapper-turned-actor, who reprised his role as hacker Tej Parker in Fast X, took the opportunity to answer the question so many people have been asking.
“I hear people say all the time ‘why do y’all keep doing these movies?’ That’s the dumbest question in the world,” Ludacris said.
He said they’re still making movies because “no matter what industry we [are] in, podcasts, music, movies, it’s all about a bottom line”.
“If you spend 200 million and you make a billion, who is gonna tell you to stop shooting movies?” Ludacris added.
You can watch the full podcast here, or skip to minute 13:00 for the part about Fast X.
He has a point, of course.
Judging by some of the comments on YouTube, Reddit, Twitter and the like, it’d be easy to assume some fans are becoming disenchanted with the franchise.
Over-the-top stunts, even by Hollywood standards, are often cited as the main reason why.
The fact that characters constantly die on screen only to be resurrected in later movies also contributes to the cricitism.
However, when you look at the box office, it’s clear that people still enjoy the movies – big time.
The Fast and Furious franchise is by far Universal’s biggest meal ticket, with a combined gross of over $7 billion against a total budget of $1.75 billion.
Fast X, the most recent instalment, has already grossed half a billion dollars in just 10 days.
During the podcast, Ludacris confirmed two more movies were coming, which is the same thing Vin Diesel said right after the Fast X premiere in Rome.
Details are kept under wraps but Diesel also said Fast X is part one of a trilogy, and hinted at a woman-led Fast and Furious spin-off in the future.
