Universal Pictures cancels Fast and Furious 9 event in China after receiving threats

A promotional event for Hollywood blockbuster Fast and Furious 9, scheduled to be held in China's Shanghai on Tuesday, was canceled by Universal Pictures over security concerns after the company received threats.

"Currently, Universal Pictures received threats that would make it impossible for us to hold the press conference and could cause considerable security risks. Although Universal Pictures poured a lot of efforts for the press conference, security will always be our top priority. As a result, after careful evaluation, Universal Pictures was forced to cancel the press conference for Fast and Furious 9," the US film production company said in a statement on its official Weibo account.

The company said it had reported the details of the threats to law enforcement agencies in China.

The planned promotional event would allow Chinese fans to experience the breath-taking car chase scenes in the movie, the company said in earlier posts.

The new movie will be released in theaters in China as scheduled on Friday, the company added.

The Fast and Furious franchise is one of the most successful Hollywood movie franchises in the Chinese market. The previous installment known as "The Fate of the Furious 8" generated 2.6 billion yuan (about $404 million) in China, which made it the 15th highest-grossing movie in country's the box office history. When the movie was first released in China in April 2017, it shattered the daily box office record in the Chinese market by generating 417 million yuan on the first day.