“The Fate of the Furious” has raced to the top of the box-office chart — breaking an international record in the process.

    The eighth film in the action thriller* franchise took an estimated US$532.5m globally over Easter weekend.

    The figure makes it the strongest worldwide debut ever — marginally overtaking the US$529m taken by “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”

    However, the film’s U.S. takings were down sharply on the previous movie.

    “Furious 7” opened with US$147.2m in the United States when it was released in 2015 — but the latest instalment of the series debuted with US$100.2m.

    “The Fate of the Furious” — titled “Fast & Furious 8” in some territories — stars Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel, who said he felt “grateful, humbled and blessed” after the film’s success.

    Rhianna Dhillon, film critic and host of BBC Radio 4’s Seriously... podcast, said the success of the “Fast & Furious” franchise is down to its “universal appeal.”

    “They’re films people of all ages can enjoy, because they have that pure, unadulterated* escapism* about them, children and adults alike are quite happy to watch things get blown up and smashed up*,” she said.

    “A lot of what drags movies like ‘The Avengers’ down is the plot, and ‘Fast & Furious’ isn’t trying to compete with those heavy, convoluted* storylines. This is just cars smashing into each other and it’s okay to enjoy that.

    “This franchise isn’t trying to be anything it’s not. Ultimately, from the bottom up, it doesn’t take itself too seriously.”

    Dhillon said the diversity of the cast is one of the key reasons the film series has seen continued box-office success.

    “Hollywood really underestimates* minority audiences,” she said. “For example, if you break down the figures, the Latino audience is huge, what with Vin Diesel’s following. I think that has so much to do with it, because not many films offer that.”

    She added: “The franchise still attracts huge stars each time — this year as the villain we have Charlize Theron, there’s an appearance from Helen Mirren. These aren’t people you’ve never heard of, they have the most bankable movie stars in the world.

    “And Dwayne Johnson has given the films a new lease of life — when you buy a star like him, you’re buying his fans as well.” (SD-Agencies)