Vin Diesel has starred in numerous action movies throughout his career. A series that is particularly dear to him would have ended after the second part if the actor hadn’t fought hard for it.
Which movie is it about? The Riddick series with Vin Diesel as the title character began in 2000 with Pitch Black . It was a science fiction film set in the future year 2676. Riddick is a heavy criminal captured by a bounty hunter. After crash-landing on a desert planet, the fight for survival begins.
With a budget of just under 20 million €, the film grossed about 45 million € worldwide (via boxofficemojo.com). Thus, there was nothing standing in the way of a sequel. This was released four years later and was titled Riddick: Chronicles of a Warrior.
The producing studio Universal Pictures invested significantly more money for the sequel. According to Box Office Mojo, around 90 million €. All in all, the film ultimately only grossed about 98 million €. Considering that in Hollywood, in addition to the actual production budget, about the same amount is spent on marketing, this results in a significant flop.
Normally, this would have been the end for Riddick. But lead actor Vin Diesel was determined that the story should continue – it wasn’t the only time the actor fought for a film.
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What happened next with Riddick? After the second part, the series was supposed to end temporarily, and the hoped-for next big science fiction franchise faded away. However, Vin Diesel was so attached to the character and the world that he made a deal with Universal.
The studio wanted the actor to return to another popular franchise: Fast and the Furious. Vin Diesel had actually exited after part 1 (2001). He only returned for a guest appearance in the spin-off Tokyo Drift (2006), and in the next installment, New Model. Original Parts (2009), Diesel was back as the main star.
For Universal, it paid off because Fast and the Furious became one of the biggest franchises in the world. Vin Diesel also had a say in many aspects, such as when it came to casting decisions.
For his return, Universal assured him that he could make a third Riddick film. Finally, in 2013, it happened and Riddick: Survival is His Revenge hit theaters. The budget was significantly lower at 32 million €, and the box office result was impressive: According to Box Office Mojo, it was 84 million €.
This showed that there was indeed interest in Riddick from the audience. At the same time, the series is not in the top tier of blockbusters and must keep its budget within certain limits. And because Hollywood pays close attention to how much money each film makes and the last installment was successful, there is already another sequel in the works.
Riddick: Furya does not yet have a release date, but will once again feature Vin Diesel in the title role. The story is known to revolve around his return to his home world. Directed by David Twohy, just like the other three installments.
It will be exciting to see how Riddick: Furya performs at the box office. Are you a fan of the series and already looking forward to the sequel? Feel free to let us know in the comments. The story shows that Vin Diesel has been able to celebrate successes with his projects, but not everything has gone smoothly in the actor’s career: Vin Diesel has wanted to play a historical commander for over 20 years – Denzel Washington snatches the role away from him
