Fast and Furious Franchising
How the Serialized Blockbuster Remade Hollywood
Published on 7. April 2026
Book
Hardback
240 pages
978-1-5179-2107-1 (ISBN)
Description
What the popularity of the Fast and Furious film franchise says about Hollywood blockbusters and media production
Fast and Furious Franchising charts the transformation of Hollywood through the story of one of its most successful cinematic universes. Released in 2001, The Fast and the Furious became an unexpected hit, developing into a seven-billion-dollar media franchise with nine direct sequels (so far), one "sidequel," copious spin-offs, and licensing deals from board games to theme park rides.
Dan Hassler-Forest shows how Fast and Furious paved the way for a new form of serialized storytelling that balanced new distribution practices and expansion into international markets with a savvy awareness of representational politics. By following the series's development over the past twenty-five years, Fast and Furious Franchising reveals distinct phases that reflect larger media-industrial trends: the postclassical blockbuster era of the early 2000s; the emergence of the megafranchise between 2008 and 2014; the franchise's "imperial" era, from 2015 through 2019; and the postpandemic crisis era of media saturation and franchise fatigue.
While examining this rapidly changing media landscape, Hassler-Forest offers lively, insightful analyses of the films as they have embraced ever-more-ludicrous plots and unlikely character turns while always maintaining their signature faith in the power of family. As he illuminates the role of the Fast and Furious movies in the global entertainment industry, Hassler-Forest shows how the films' improbable success proves Dominic Toretto's adage that, whether "you win by an inch or a mile . . . winning's winning."
Retail e-book files for this title are screen-reader friendly with images accompanied by short alt text and/or extended descriptions.
Fast and Furious Franchising charts the transformation of Hollywood through the story of one of its most successful cinematic universes. Released in 2001, The Fast and the Furious became an unexpected hit, developing into a seven-billion-dollar media franchise with nine direct sequels (so far), one "sidequel," copious spin-offs, and licensing deals from board games to theme park rides.
Dan Hassler-Forest shows how Fast and Furious paved the way for a new form of serialized storytelling that balanced new distribution practices and expansion into international markets with a savvy awareness of representational politics. By following the series's development over the past twenty-five years, Fast and Furious Franchising reveals distinct phases that reflect larger media-industrial trends: the postclassical blockbuster era of the early 2000s; the emergence of the megafranchise between 2008 and 2014; the franchise's "imperial" era, from 2015 through 2019; and the postpandemic crisis era of media saturation and franchise fatigue.
While examining this rapidly changing media landscape, Hassler-Forest offers lively, insightful analyses of the films as they have embraced ever-more-ludicrous plots and unlikely character turns while always maintaining their signature faith in the power of family. As he illuminates the role of the Fast and Furious movies in the global entertainment industry, Hassler-Forest shows how the films' improbable success proves Dominic Toretto's adage that, whether "you win by an inch or a mile . . . winning's winning."
Retail e-book files for this title are screen-reader friendly with images accompanied by short alt text and/or extended descriptions.
Reviews / Votes
"If you want to know why Hollywood has been doing the things it's been doing for the past quarter century, there can be no better guides than Dan Hassler-Forest and Dominic Toretto. Read or die." - Mark Bould, author of The Anthropocene Unconscious: Climate Catastrophe Culture"In Fast and Furious Franchising, author Dan Hassler-Forest tackles the notoriously messy world of this blockbuster film series with an engaging energy and clarity. By working chronologically through the series, this book astutely unpacks the complexities of Fast and Furious to reveal new insights into contemporary Hollywood and the past twenty-five years of studio filmmaking, distribution, and reception." - Fraser Elliott, coeditor of Full-Throttle Franchise: The Culture, Business, and Politics of Fast & Furious
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Minnesota
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
College/higher education
Illustrations
33 black and white illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 203 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 12 mm
Weight
425 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-5179-2107-1 (9781517921071)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Dan Hassler-Forest is assistant professor of media and culture studies at Utrecht University. He is author of several books, including Janelle Monae's Queer Afrofuturism: Defying Every Label; Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Politics: Transmedia World-Building Beyond Capitalism; and Capitalist Superheroes: Caped Crusaders in the Neoliberal Age.
Content
Contents
Introduction: Fast Cars, Hot Chicks, Whatever . . .
1. The Postclassical Blockbuster: Movie Franchising in the Early 2000s
2. A Whole World of Cars: The Dawn of the Megafranchise
3. The Era of the Megafranchise: Spin-offs, Theme Park Logic, and Cradle-to-Grave Entertainment Brands
4. The Decline Era: Postpandemic Blockbusters, Streaming Wars, and Franchise Fatigue
Notes
Index
Introduction: Fast Cars, Hot Chicks, Whatever . . .
1. The Postclassical Blockbuster: Movie Franchising in the Early 2000s
2. A Whole World of Cars: The Dawn of the Megafranchise
3. The Era of the Megafranchise: Spin-offs, Theme Park Logic, and Cradle-to-Grave Entertainment Brands
4. The Decline Era: Postpandemic Blockbusters, Streaming Wars, and Franchise Fatigue
Notes
Index