One of the earliestFast & Furiousmovies flopped at the box office, but it is actually arguably the most important film in the series. Nowadays, it’s hard to imagine aFast & Furiousfilm failing at the box office. Over the years, it has evolved into one of the most popular action franchises in Hollywood. The last six movies have all grossed at least $700 million, and two of them have earned over $1 billion. TheupcomingFast & Furious 11will also likely be a box office hit, since it is the last movie in the franchise.
However, it wasn’t always the case thatFast & Furiousmovieswere going to be guaranteed hits. Before it evolved into an action franchise, theFast & Furiousmovies focused on street racing. One movie, in particular, didn’t have a huge ensemble cast and epic action sequences that all the recent films in the franchise have. Despite being one of the most well-made and important movies in the series,The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Driftflopped at the box office.
Tokyo Drift’s Box Office Failure Confirmed Fast & Furious Needed Brian And Dom
Diesel & Walker Returned To The Fast & Furious Franchise After Tokyo Drift
The firstFast & Furiousmovie focused on the relationship between Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto and Paul Walker’s Brian O’Connor. In the film, Brian was an undercover cop investigating Dom’s crew, but the two men ended up forming a special bond. Despite this, Diesel did not return in2 Fast 2 Furious, in which Brian teamed up with Tyrese Gibson’s Roman Pierce instead. However,the third film in the franchise, 2006’sThe Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, didn’t focus on Dom or Brian.
This disappointing box office proved that the franchise needed either Diesel or Walker.
Instead,Tokyo Driftfollows Sean, a high school student who is forced to live with his father in Tokyo and gets involved in its street racing scene.The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Driftis actually one of the best movies in the franchise, but it didn’t make much at the box office.Tokyo Driftonly made $157 million on a high budget of $85 million(viaThe Numbers). This disappointing box office proved that the franchise needed either Diesel or Walker. Thankfully, Diesel appeared in the post-credits scene ofThe Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.
One Of Fast & Furious’ Greatest Characters Would Not Exist Without Tokyo Drift
The Fast And The Furious: Tokyo Drift Introduced Han
After the failure ofTokyo Drift, Dom and Brian would be solidified as the two maincharacters in theFast & Furiousfranchise. Even though it is a great movie,Tokyo Driftdidn’t have enough star power to convince people to see it in theaters. However, one of the best characters in the franchise wouldn’t exist withoutTokyo Drift. After being introduced inTokyo Drift, Han quickly became one of the most important characters in the series.
Technically, Han is introduced in Justin Lin’s 2002 filmBetter Luck Tomorrow, but this is not considered to be an officialFast & Furiousmovie. Therefore, despite playing the same character in both films,Tokyo Driftwas the first time that actor Sung Kang showed what kind of character he would be in theFast & Furiousfranchise.Han tragically dies inTokyo Drift, which is the most emotional moment in the film, but also becomes an important plot point in the seriessinceFast & Furious 6sheds more light on his death.
Han’s Death In Tokyo Drift Has Been A Major Plot Point Since Fast & Furious 6
Han Didn’t Actually Die In Tokyo Drift
Even thoughFast & Furious 6came out seven years afterTokyo Drift, it did not forget about the plot of the film and the character of Han. In the post-credits scene ofFast & Furious 6, it is revealed thatJason Statham’s Deckard Shaw is actually the person who murdered Han. Deckard is the main villain ofFurious 7, which finally catches up toTokyo Driftin theFast & Furioustimeline.
The Fast and the Furious (2001)
$206,458,372
55%
$236,410,607
37%
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006)
$157,794,205
38%
$359,347,833
29%
$629,975,898
78%
$789,300,444
71%
$1,511,986,364
82%
The Fate of the Furious (2017)
$1,235,534,014
67%
$760,732,926
$719,360,068
59%
$714,375,114
57%
After this shocking reveal inFast & Furious 6,Han ended up returning inF9, which saw him reunite with characters fromTokyo Drift. Han also returned inFast X, the most recent film in the franchise. InFast X, Han actually encounters Deckard Shaw again years after he tried to murder him. The relationship between these two characters will likely be further explored inFast & Furious 11. Therefore, even though it is the lowest-grossing movie in the franchise,Tokyo Driftset up many character arcs and plot points for future films in theFast & Furiousseries.
