F9 is blazing through theaters, winning the Fourth of July weekend as the box office hits a massive milestone. The power of family has not only kept the franchise going, but it also has spawned one of the funniest recent viral memes featuring the Fast & Furious patriarch himself, Vin Diesel. Now, in the midst of the hype, the fan-favorite duo of Ludacris and Tyrese Gibson have thanked the fans after F9’s milestone at the box office.
Tyrese Gibson’s Roman and Ludacris’ Tej were both introduced in 2 Fast 2 Furious and have been integral parts of the Fast family ever since. The duo has developed comedic chemistry, which ultimately led to some of the funniest moments in F9. After the movie hit the $500 million mark at the box office, Ludacris was the first of the two to take to Instagram to thank the fans:
Half a BILLION in only 11 Days!? WOW! Sincerely Thank You To Every Fan Around The World That Bought A Ticket & Supported This Movie
Ludacris' excitement is more than understandable. It’s a huge accomplishment for both international and domestic box office, proving that the movie-going experience can still generate tons of money even amidst a slowly reopening public. It's safe to say that Fast fans will continue to support the franchise until Universal stops making the movies, which may or may not happen at this point. While Ludacris' sentiments were nice enough, Tyrese Gibson's comment on the post was also sweet:
Pow!!!!!!!!!!!!! We love you guys WORLDWIDE
Having been members of the storied franchise for so long, Ludacris and Tyrese Gibson are more than aware of the effect its had on the world. For instance, Ludacris recently had the best response after the Department of Transportation nodded at The Fast & Furious for a viral road warning sign. All in all, both actors are clearly super invested in the franchise and, at this point, they even have ideas about where the Fast series should go next.
Aside from the box office, Ludacris and Tyrese Gibson hit a major milestone within F9 itself, as their characters became the first of the Fast family to go to space. The pair exited Earth’s atmosphere in a Pontiac Fiero with a rocket attached to the back. Director Justin Lin actually wanted to do the stunt practically and, while he ultimately couldn’t, the scene was no less amazing for it. There's plenty for the Roman and Tej duo to do next, but it’s going to be hard to top their space trip.
Despite the sheer popularity of the franchise, the end does seem near for the film series. F9 sets up the endgame for the franchise, and it raises a ton of questions about what’s next. One thing is for sure: the Fast franchise will keep breaking records despite the odds and, hopefully, these milestones will continue to be accompanied by love from stars like Ludacris and Tyrese Gibson.
