Blockbusters are back: New 'Fast & Furious' aims to jolt US movie-going

LOS ANGELES: Hollywood is finally revving up the summer blockbuster engines for the first time since COVID-19 idled the movie business.

"F9," the ninth installment in the popular "Fast & Furious" saga, hits U.S. and Canadian cinemas on Thursday night. The movie is the first big-budget action spectacle being released exclusively in theaters this year. Cinema operators hope "F9" will kick-start domestic ticket sales to help them recover from extended closures and restricted reopening with few new movies to show.