You’d think the box office “Fast X” is pulling in China — $77 million in the first five days — would be encouraging news. It’s the best-performing Hollywood movie in a market that’s been resistant to the American dream factory’s charms as of late, and the haul for the latest installment of Universal’s “Fast Saga” nearly matched the five-day domestic total of $81 million.
But that ignores a critical factor: The “Fast & the Furious” series has been bigger in China than in the U.S. since 2015, routinely earning 25%-30% of its global box office in the country and arguably making it the emblem of Hollywood’s ambitions for one of the world’s largest and increasingly affluent pool of moviegoers.