The Transporter premiered at the Regency Village Theatre in Los Angeles on 2 October 2002 and was first theatrically released in the United States on 11 October by 20th Century Fox, and in France on 23 October by EuropaCorp. It received mixed reviews from critics, with praise for its action sequences but criticism for its story. It grossed $43.9 million worldwide and was followed by the sequel Transporter 2 (2005).
The Transporter was inspired by the short film series The Hire. The Transporter premiered at the Regency Village Theatre in Los Angeles on 2 October 2002 and was first theatrically released in the United States on 11 October by 20th Century Fox, and in France on 23 October by EuropaCorp. It received mixed reviews from critics, with praise for its action sequences but criticism for its story. It grossed $43.9 million worldwide and was followed by the sequel Transporter 2 (2005).