Fast X: Part 2‘s slow development is concerning for the franchise’s finale, but it may be promising that Hollywood is showing restraint towards its mega franchises. It’s been over two years since Fast X ended with a mᴀssive cliffhanger, leaving audiences to speculate about how the franchise will end in the eleventh and final chapter.

However, development on the grand finale has been anything but fast, primarily because Universal hasn’t given Fast 11 the green light. There is still no release date, and cast members have said they haven’t seen a script yet. A recent report from The Wall Street Journal suggests that a main concern for Universal is the film’s budget.

According to the report, Universal isn’t willing to make it for more than $200 million, a drastic decrease from Fast X‘s budget. This would require Vin Diesel to make some cuts to the script, as well as figure out how to shrink the cast and film in mostly domestic locations. While this could limit Fast 11‘s scale, other studios may want to follow Universal’s lead for their own franchises.

Franchises Like Fast & Furious Got Out Of Control In The 2010s

In 2009, Avatar premiered and became the highest-grossing film of all time. Following its release, Hollywood saw a boom in blockbuster films that would earn over $1 billion. Films like Alice in Wonderland, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, and Transformers: Dark of the Moon were all early examples of the success many franchises saw in the 2010s.

This trend would continue until the end of the decade, as properties like the MCU and Star Wars dominated the box office. 2019 was a record year for Hollywood, as nine movies made over $1 billion worldwide, seven of which were released by Disney, which had plenty of success during the decade thanks to Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, its animated slate, and its live-action remakes.

One franchise that benefited from this box office boost was Fast & Furious. 2011’s Fast Five turned the street-racing franchise into an over-the-top heist series that has essentially become superhero movies. Both Furious 7 and The Fate of the Furious made over $1 billion, and it looked like there was no slowing down for the Diesel-led series.

However, as the profits went up, so did the budgets for all the movies. Many of these had budgets within the $200-$300 million range, a symptom of the confidence that studios had in their tentpole properties. For example, Fate of the Furious had a $250 million budget following the success of the seventh entry.

The same can be said for other franchises as well. Each film in the new Star Wars trilogy all had budgets over $250 million, and Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame had combined production budgets of $686 million. Many of those figures are justified, as the movies went on to break even and go beyond that.

Unfortunately, 2019’s box office boom came to an immediate halt in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The shift from theatrical to streaming also impacted how audiences prioritize their viewing habits. Franchise films aren’t performing as well in the 2020s, and Universal’s concerns with Fast 11 show that studios are changing their approach to major blockbusters.

Hollywood Is Finally Learning How To Handle Existing Franchises In Today’s Landscape

Since 2020, only nine films have joined the $1 billion club. Some of these success stories are standard superhero blockbusters like Spider-Man: No Way Home and ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine, but there are some surprises, like Barbie and Top Gun: Maverick. Avatar: The Way of Water currently holds the box office тιтle for the 2020s, and that could continue with this year’s Avatar 3.

However, $1 billion films are rarer this decade. Audiences are more picky about what they choose to go see in theaters, and well-known franchises aren’t nearly as consistent. The only properties that have been reliable during this decade are Spider-Man and Jurᴀssic World.

Still, many of the budgets remain high, despite the increase in box office flops. A recent notorious example is Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. According to recent filings from Disney, the Harrison Ford-led film cost $419 million to produce, and only made $384 million worldwide. Disney had similar experiences with 2025’s Snow White and The Marvels.

The Fast & Furious films have been hurt by this box office slowdown, especially domestically. F9 and Fast X both made over $700 million worldwide, but came well short of the total grosses for their predecessors. While $700 million is impressive for any other movie, Fast X had a budget of $340 million, and needed to make more to be a mᴀssive hit for Universal.

Universal’s restraint towards Fast 11 signals a shift in Hollywood’s mindset towards these types of films, and it’s one that other studios need to follow. While the franchise has a grand action spectacle and a stacked cast that needs to be paid, it’s no longer a wise investment when there is no guarantee it’ll make its money back.

Keeping the budget around $200 million seems fair, and another $700 million gross would be a nice profit for Universal. If this model works, then other studios need to take this approach, especially with properties that carry more risk. Hopefully, Fast 11 does get made, so it can end the franchise the right way.