Fast and Furious breaks record with $143.6 million

 

       Furious 7″ is currently at the top of the domestic box office, with a massive $143.6 million the weekend it debuted.

               This is way higher than the $95 million debut of “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” and is currently the highest-grossing kick-off for any film in the “Fast and Furious” franchise. It also ranks ninth among the top ten openings in history.
One can attribute its success to the death of Paul Walker who died in 2013 at the age of 40 in a car crash while working on the film. His role was completed using digital technology and a series of stand-ins.
“This is a bittersweet installment in the franchise,” said Phil Contrino, vice president and chief analyst at BoxOffice.com. “Walker’s passing made this movie more intriguing for people who hadn’t seen some of the installments. It raised awareness and its success is a tribute to him.”

Universal Pictures spared no expense in bringing the latest chapter in the fast cars and gravity-defying-stunts series to the big screen, shelling out $190 million on the production. It unspooled in 4,003 North American theaters, earning $14 million on 365 Imax screens and $11.5 million from premium large format screens. Going into the weekend, most analysts estimated that the film would open in the $115 million range.
Foreign numbers were steroidal. Internationally, the film rolled out across 10,500 screens in 63 territories, earning $240.4 million.
“This is the next member of the billion dollar club and that’s a rarefied place to be,” said Contrino. “This thing is on fire.”