‘Furious 7’ is Racing to Box Office Records

05 Apr, 2015

 The high-octane “Furious 7” peeled out of the gates in its opening weekend, picking up a stunning $143.6 million from 4,004 locations to easily top the domestic box office, according to Rentrak estimates Sunday.

The expectation-shattering sum is a studio and franchise best for the homegrown car-obsessed series, which has continued to grow over the past few films.

“Furious 7,” now the ninth-biggest opening of all time, also unseats previous April record-holder “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” which opened to $95 million on the same weekend last year.

While the “Fast and Furious” films have grown in popularity over the past three films, the mega-opening for “Furious 7” was also at least partially tied to audience interest in star Paul Walker, who died in a car crash in Nov. 2013 before the film was completed.

Production on “Furious 7” was halted while the filmmakers and Universal decided whether or not to proceed with the film. The team ultimately decided to delay the release from its originally scheduled July 2014 date.

As the most ambitious release in Universal’s history, “Furious 7” opened on 10,005 screens internationally as well, picking up $240.4 million from 63 territories for a $384 million worldwide debut – a 48 percent increase over “Fast & Furious 6.”

The film will also debut in Russia, Poland, Japan, and China in the coming weeks.

Holdovers populated the rest of the top spots with DreamWorks Animation’s “Home” earning $27.4 to take a distant second place. “Get Hard” brought in an estimated $12.9 million, while “Cinderella” and “The Divergent Series: Insurgent” rounded out the top five with $10.3 million and $10 million, respectively.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Rentrak. Where available, the latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. “Furious 7,” $143.6 million ($240.4 million international).

2. “Home,” $27.4 million ($20.7 million international).

3. “Get Hard,” $12.9 million ($2.6 million international).

4. “Cinderella,” $10.3 million ($24.3 million international).

5. “The Divergent Series: Insurgent,” $10 million ($15.5 million international).

6. “It Follows,” $2.5 million.

7. “Woman in Gold,” $2 million.

8. “Kingsman: The Secret Service,” $1.7 million ($20 million international).

9. “Do You Believe,” $1.5 million.

10. “The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” $1 million ($3 million international).

AP

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