By Chris Kavan - 08/01/19 at 08:08 AM CT
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood became the biggest opening film for director Quentin Tarantino while The Lion King has just passed the $1 billion mark for Disney. This weekend sees just a single new wide release, once again, but it should be enough to topple The Lion King and take the box office crown. That is because said film is Hobbs & Shaw - the spinoff Fast and Furious film that pairs up Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham, who team up to take on genetic super soldier Idris Elba. I think the brand alone will be enough to propel it to box office gold.
FAST AND FURIOUS PRESENTS: HOBBS & SHAW It was inevitable that there would be more than just the core Fast and Furious films - I'm actually surprised it took this long, honestly. The film pairs up two unlikely characters, by-the-books agent Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and wild criminal Shaw (Jason Statham) who find themselves having to work together when Shaw's sister, Hattie (Vanessa Kirby) steals something out from under genetically-enhanced soldier Brixton (Idris Elba) who soon makes her a target. The trio find themselves on a globe-spanning adventure to stop the seemingly unstoppable soldier, and his army, from inducing worldwide chaos. This includes a trip to Hobbs' homeland where Johnson gets to add some Maori spice into the mix. The film obviously follows the same absurd action logic as the more recent Fast and Furious films - with over-the-top scenes of dubious nature. Still, that also means this should be a lot of fun - provided you just don't think about things too much. Hobbs & Shaw will probably not be as big a sensation as a typical Fast and Furious film, but I think it will be big enough to still make an impact here and overseas. I expect it to dethrone The Lion King and probably make way for more spinoff films from this franchise in the future.
Another week, another single film. We'll find out on Sunday if action can topple nostalgia at the box office.
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