Fast and Furious: How a small action movie series made big, big bucks

‘Fast and Furious’ is the cheap and cheerful gift that keeps on giving for the makers of the mega-hit franchise. But how, asks Ed Power

HOW did the Fast and the Furious come to be cinema’s most lucrative franchise?

The seventh instalment in the rubber-burning saga clocked up a staggering $384m in its opening weekend, notwithstanding the lack of A-list stars and critical acclaim.