Dom, Letty, Brian, Mia, Roman, Tej — with the seventh installment of the "Fast and Furious" franchise, audiences will get a chance to see what new mischief the crew is getting up to.
And while it's been 14 years since the first film "The Fast and the Furious" hit theaters, audiences still love the franchise and earnings continue to grow with every sequel since the crew's full return in the fourth film, "Fast and Furious." Already receiving rave reviews, "Furious 7" is expected to be a huge hit, with early projections putting the film's opening weekend earnings over $100 million.
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The Growing Success and Revenue of the "Fast and Furious" Franchise
The "Fast and the Furious" franchise has generated $938 million in domestic box office revenue, and "Furious 7" will likely push the franchise past the $1 billion mark. Worldwide box office sales are even higher, with the franchise's total box office sales at $2.38 billion and the films averaging gross sales of $396.7 million each.
Here's how much each "Fast and Furious" installment grossed domestically in box office sales, as reported by Box Office Mojo:
"The Fast and the Furious" (2001): $144.5 million
"2 Fast 2 Furious" (2003): $127.2 million
"The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" (2006): $62.5 million
"Fast and Furious" (2009): $155.1 million
"Fast Five" (2011): $209.8 million
"Fast & Furious 6" (2013): $238.7 million
After a small slouch in earnings with the third film "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift," gross box office sales have steadily grown as the films continue to widen their audience and prove their entertainment value, which combined with positive reviews will set "Furious 7" up for huge earnings. With the projected success of "Furious 7," studio execs at Universal are already planning the next installment in the saga and expect to make at least three more "Fast and Furious" films, reports IGN.
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What "Furious 7" Stars Paul Walker and Vin Diesel Get Paid
The stars of the "Fast and Furious" franchise have also proven their high-grossing value, appearing in Forbes' 2013 and 2014 lists of the highest-grossing actors after the huge success of "Fast & Furious 6." Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was the highest-grossing actor that year, and fellow "Fast & Furious" stars Vin Diesel and Paul Walker also made the list. The continued success of the "Fast and Furious" films has also proved these cast members' value and power to command huge paychecks.
Paul Walker as Brian O'Conner
Paul Walker, who portrays a central protagonist Brian O'Conner, is likely among the most well-paid stars of the "Fast and Furious" franchise. Despite the tragic accident that took Walker's life in November 2013, he's featured strongly in "Furious 7," which was completed with stand-in help from Walker's brothers Caleb and Cody Walker, reports Business Insider. Paul Walker's net worth was $25 million at his death, an amount TMZ reports was left to Walker's daughter, Meadow.
Walker only made $1 million for his breakout role in "The Fast and the Furious," but his paycheck got upped to $7 million for the sequel, "2 Fast 2 Furious," according to IMDb. Walker made more in the range of $15 million for "Fast & Furious 6," report The Richest, though it's unknown what he would have earned for "Furious 7."
Vin Diesel as Dominic Toretto
Vin Diesel has commanded high paychecks for his role as family-focused racer, Dominic Toretto. Diesel reportedly asked for an exorbitant salary of $27 million to make a sequel following the breakout success of "The Fast and the Furious," but Universal said no. Diesel was absent from "2 Fast 2 Furious," but made a cameo in "Tokyo Drift" in exchange for the rights to the character Riddick, who he's portrayed in several films.
With the fourth film, "Fast and Furious," Diesel negotiated creative control and a producing role, reports Forbes, and helped turn the franchise around from the low point of "Tokyo Drift" to continued success. Diesel made $15 million for his starring role and producing fee on "Fast Five," according to Vanity Fair. Vin Diesel's net worth is an estimated $75 million, earning $25 million just from June 2013 to June 2014, reports Forbes — largely from his big roles in the "Fast & Furious" movies and 2014 hit "Guardians of the Galaxy" as Groot.
Dwayne Johnson as Luke Hobbs
Dwayne Johnson has made action stardom his bread and butter, earning $52 million as one of the highest-paid actors in 2014, reports Forbes. Johnson joined the "Fast and Furious" cast as federal agent Luke Hobbs in "Fast Five," when he went head-to-head with Dom and his gang. Dwayne Johnson's net worth is $125 million, the highest of any "Furious 7" cast member, making him the highest-paid actor in the franchise as well, reportedly earning a whopping $32.6 million to join the cast in "Fast Five," according to The Richest.
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Michelle Rodriguez as Letty Ortiz
Michelle Rodriguez plays Letty Ortiz in the "Fast and Furious" films, a character who has had a dramatic arc: presumed dead in the fourth film "Fast & Furious," Letty was revealed to be alive during the credits of "Fast Five," and returned in "Fast & Furious 6" but was afflicted with amnesia. Rodriguez earned $5 million for "Fast & Furious 6," according to The Richest, and will likely make a similar amount for "Furious 7." Michelle Rodriguez' net worth is an estimated $30 million, according to CelebrityNetWorth.
Jordana Brewster as Mia Toretto
Jordana Brewster plays Mia Toretto, sister of Dominic Toretto and love interest to Brian O'Conner (in "Fast & Furious 6," Brian and Mia have a son together). As a supporting cast member, Brewster's paychecks for the franchise are likely smaller than the above-mentioned lead actors. But Jordana Brewster's net worth is still a respectable $2 million, thanks to her acting income as well as other ventures like an endorsement deal with CoverGirl.
Tyrese Gibson as Roman Pearce
Gibson has been a staple in the "Fast and Furious" franchise since the second film, when he was introduced as Brian O'Conner's childhood friend, Roman Pearce. While he made just $750,000 for his appearance in "2 Fast 2 Furious," according to IMDb, Gibson has made between $3 and $5 million for his appearance in the most recent films in the franchise, and he probably made upwards of those figures for "Furious 7." Tyrese Gibson's net worth is an estimated $25 million.
Ludacris as Tej Parker
Ludacris first appeared in the "Fast and Furious" franchise as Tej Parker,host of Miami street races in "2 Fast 2 Furious," and in later films as the resident tech genius on Dominic's crew. Despite success in both his acting and rap careers and a $25 million net worth, Ludacris still reportedly has money problems. When "Furious 7" production was halted following Walker's death, Ludacris was unable to pay child support reports TMZ, and he claimed and income of only $55,000 for 2013.
Elsa Pataky as Elena Neves
Elas Pataky will be returning to "Furious 7" as police officer Elena Neves. Pataky's net worth is $5 million, plus she's married to "Thor" actor Chris Hemsworth, who's worth $50 million.
Lucas Black as Sean Boswell
Lucas Black first appeared as Sean Boswell, a main protagonist of "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift," and is welcomed back to reprise his role in "Furious 7." Lucas Black's net worth is estimated to be $3 million.
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What "Furious 7" Newcomers Like Ronda Rousey, Jason Statham Are Worth
In addition to the above-mentioned "Fast and Furious" veterans, there are also several high-profile names like Ronda Rousey, Jason Statham or Tony Jaa appearing in the franchise for the first time in "Furious 7." Some faces are newer than others, like the 3-year-old twins who play Jack, son of Brian and Mia, whom TMZ reports were each paid $3,277 for each week they were shooting scenes. Others like Kurt Russell will be more familiar to action film buffs. Here's what these newcomers are worth.
Jason Statham
Action movie veteran Statham plays Deckard Shaw, the central antagonist in "Furious 7" seeking to exact vengeance for the death of his brother, Owen Shaw, at the hands of the "Fast and Furious" crew. Jason Statham's net worth is estimated at $40 million, well-deserved since the lifetime gross of movies he's appeared in is over $1 billion, reports CelebrityNetWorth.
Ronda Rousey
Undefeated martial artist Ronda Rousey's physicality shines in a brutal "Furious 7" fight scene between her character, Kara, and Michelle Rodriguez' Letty, staged in a penthouse with the pair sporting evening gowns. Through her MMA career, appearance in "Expendables 3" and other earnings, Ronda Rousey's net worth is estimated to be $5 million.
Kurt Russell
"Furious 7" is Kurt Russell's first appearance in the franchise, but he's an old staple if action movies and has racked up a net worth of $70 million. Russell brings gravitas to the franchise as a government agent referred to as "Mr. Nobody" who works with Dominic and his crew.
Djimon Hounsou
Djimon Hounsou appeared alongside Vin Diesel in "Guardians of the Galaxy," and that connection probably helped Hounsou land his role as henchman Mose Jakande in "Furious 7." Djimon Hounsou's net worth is an estimated $12 million.
Tony Jaa
Thai martial artist Tony Jaa will appear in "Furious 7" as a character called Kiet, and will likely show off his muscle and combat moves in the film's nonstop action scenes. Tony Jaa's net worth is an estimated $10 million.
Nathalie Emmanuel
Nathalie Emmanuel is another newcomer to the "Fast and Furious" franchise, playing a genius hacker Ramsey in the film. Audience members might recognize her from roles in hit TV show "Game of Thrones" and film "Maze Runner."
Iggy Izalea
Rapper Iggy Izalea, worth a respectable $6 million, is slated to make a cameo in "Furious 7."
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