The Fast & Furious franchise was a movie series about illegal street racers who also pulled off criminal heists, until one installment changed everything. In Fast Five, the franchise shifted into a film about former illegal street racers who began to work stopping major criminals, which led to enormous changes for the rest of the movies.
Fast Five saved the Fast & Furious franchise by shifting this focus and making the “family” almost like superheroes in espionage movies. Many consider the fifth film the best in the Fast & Furious series, and this is evident in the continued success it enjoys on streaming platforms.
Fast Five is now streaming on Prime Video and has entered the top 10, ranking at number eight in the U.S. for movies, 14 years after its theatrical release. It currently sits ahead of The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Twisters, and is trending up in the rankings. The brand-new Prime Video original movie Heads of State sits in the number one spot.
What This Means For Fast Five
Fast Five’s Success Tracks Well For The Upcoming End Of The Franchise
Fast Five was released in 2011 and marked a significant change for the Fast & Furious franchise. The former street criminals suddenly become heroes in this film, transforming from wanted men to a future where they would become secret agents working for mysterious government agencies. Nothing was the same after that.
Fast Five made an impressive $629.9 million at the box office and led to a future where two movies (Furious 7 and The Fate of the Furious) broke the $1 billion mark. With the final film set to release in 2026, the reemergence of Fast Five as a streaming favorite bodes well for the future of that last movie.
Our Take On Fast Five’s Streaming Success
Fast Five’s Success Proves What Fans Love About The Series
There is more to look at when examining the streaming success of Fast Five. This film marked a significant shift for the franchise, but it also marked a moment when the action exploded and the family became heroes, without going too far. The future featured over-the-top stunts and even a trip into space, but Fast Five remained a grounded movie.
Other than the car chase with the bank vault, Fast Five still saw the same basic car stunts of previous movies, but nothing as wild as flying off a cliff and catching a vine to pull a car to safety. Instead, it was the old Fast & Furious action, but this time with mustache-swirling bad guys.
It was also the introduction of Dwayne Johnson as Luke Hobbs, which brought a lot of eyes to the franchise. Finally, it offers fans a chance to see Paul Walker again as Brian, years after the actor’s untimely death. Fast Five should always be a streaming success when it arrives in a new home, serving as proof of why fans love the franchise.
