Fast cars, guns, girls in bikinis and men with six-packs; The Fast and the Furious franchise has never been the most sophisticated series out there. But it sure knows its audience. Which is why, from 2001’s inaugural The Fast and the Furious onwards, its five films to date have grossed US $1.5 billion.

The last film, Fast Five (2011), which saw the welcome addition of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to the cast, took $626m worldwide, some $260m more than its nearest rival, 2009’s fourth installment Fast & Furious. In other words, they must be doing something right.

Refusing to remain in neutral, as so many filmmakers behind sequels do, the director Justin Lin and the producer/star Vin Diesel, who plays the gang leader Dom Torretto, have turned what started out as a cult tale of illegal street racers into a sprawling, continent-crossing crime saga. Now comes the first of the series to be set in Europe. Primarily roaring through the streets of London.

Fast & Furious 6 speeds into theaters today (Friday).