Thanks to the seemingly unstoppable popularity of the Fast & Furious franchise, Vin Diesel seems to have carte blanche to turn every movie he's in into a robust franchise. The film Pitch Black spawned the Chronicles of Riddick franchise, which has a planned fourth film on the way, and now Diesel is returning to the lead role in the xXx franchise this year after a 15 year hiatus in xXx: The Return of Xander Cage. So with the franchise once again relevant, how many xXx movies will there be?
The answer will likely depend upon the box office performance of the new film. The first movie in the series, 2002's xXx, was a big success, earning $277 million at the box office off its $70 million budget while riding on the success of Diesel's newfound stardom after 2001's The Fast and the Furious. However, Diesel sat out the 2005 sequel, xXx: State of the Union, and was replaced by Ice Cube. That movie bombed, failing to even make back its budget, and the franchise appeared dead. But now with Diesel starring in billion dollar movies, he's all of a sudden back as xXx. But the big question is: Does anyone still care?
I think it's pretty safe to say that they do. The first trailer for the new movie, which was released online in July, set viewership records for its studio Paramount, and it's not hard to see why. The trailer is absolutely bonkers, and features some of the most over-the-top action sequences ever put to film; including: Vin Diesel riding a dirt bike through a tidal wave, Vin Diesel skiing through a jungle, Vin Diesel jumping out of an exploding plane... you get the idea. It's the kind of ludicrous action that has made The Fate of the Furious the most-watched trailer of all-time, and it indicates that a lot of people are interested in this movie.
The film also has major global appeal. The cast includes Asian action stars Donnie Yen and Tony Jaa, Chinese superstar Kris Wu, Bollywood actor Deepika Padukone, and Brazilian soccer star Neymar. The diversity is certainly welcome, and will likely bolster the film's box office take overseas in countries where Diesel is already a much bigger star than he is in the U.S.
While no news has yet been announced regarding plans for a sequel to xXx: The Return of Xander Cage, the film certainly has the potential to be a massive hit. And though it's unlikely to reach Fast & Furious levels at the box office, the movie could definitely earn enough cash to continue the franchise.
