Furious 7 takes a massive $143 million in its opening week as Paul Walker's death increases interest in the franchise

• The latest installment in the Fast And Furious franchise has smashed box office records for the month of April
• It ranks ninth among the top ten openings in cinema history with audiences flocking to Paul Walker in one of his final roles before his death in 2013
• Analysts had estimated that it would open in the $115 million range, but it managed to earn almost $30m more 
• Walker was killed in a single-car accident when his friend Roger Rodas's red 2005 Porsche Carrera GT hit a lamppost and burst into flames

By David Mccormack For Dailymail.com and Reuters Reporter

Published: 13:57 EST, 5 April 2015 | Updated: 19:21 EST, 5 April 2015

Furious 7 has raced to the top of the domestic box office, picking up a massive $143.6 million in its opening weekend.

The film has also established a new high-water mark for the month of April, blowing past the $95 million debut of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and now stands as the highest-grossing opening for any film in the Fast and Furious franchise. It also ranks ninth among the top ten openings in history.

Much as The Dark Knight turned into a memorial for Heath Ledger, audiences flocked to see star Paul Walker in one of his final roles. 

Scroll down for video 

Furious 7 has raced to the top of the domestic box office chart, picking up a massive $143.6million in its opening weekend

Audiences flocked over the weekend to see actor Paul Walker in one of his final roles before his untimely death in 2013 at the age of 40

The actor died in a 2013 car crash at the age of 40 and his work on the film 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 opened 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 just as strong. 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.'

'Furious 7' speeds past competition at the box office

Furious 7 stars Tyrese Gibson as Roman, Michelle Rodriguez as Letty, Paul Walker as Brian and Chris Ludacris as Tej

With an A CinemaScore and strong reviews, Furious 7 could be one of the few modern blockbusters that hangs on for more than a few weeks. 

The month of April is lean on blockbuster fare and Furious 7 won't get serious competition until The Avengers: Age of Ultron debuts on May 1.

The opening weekend crowd was impressively diverse, a testament to a series that has drawn strength from its multi-cultural cast. 

The audience was 51 percent male, 44 percent under age 25, 37 percent Hispanic, 25 percent Caucasian, 24 percent African-American and 10 percent Asian.

'We're expanding our audience based on the diversity of interest from different ethnic groups all buying into saga of Dom Toretto and his family,' said Nick Carpou, Universal's president of domestic distribution, referencing the character played by Vin Diesel.

Last weekend's box office champion, DreamWorks Animation's Home, showed impressive stamina, falling less than 50 percent. The animated tale picked up $27.4 million in its second week, pushing its domestic total to $95.6 million.

In third place, R-rated comedy Get Hard earned $12.9 million. The Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart team-up fell 62 percent from its opening number, bringing its stateside haul to $57 million.

Cinderella snagged a fourth place finish, picking up $10.3 million stateside to push its domestic bounty to $167.3 million. Globally, the Disney release is closing in on $400 million.

Walker died in a single-car accident on November 30, 2013 in his friend Roger Rodas's red 2005 Porsche Carrera GT

The car crashed into a concrete lamppost and two trees in Santa Clarita, California, after which the vehicle burst into flames

Action-packed trailer for 'Furious 7: Vengeance Hits Home'

The Divergent Series: Insurgent rounded out the weekend top five, nabbing $10 million and driving the film to $103.4 million domestically.

Among art house releases, Noah Baumbach's While We're Young expanded from four to 34 theaters, picking up $492,976. The A24 release has earned $791,450 in two weeks.

Radius-TWC's It Follows also continued to expand, moving from 1,218 to 1,655, though its gross dipped 35 percent to $2.5 million. The critically adored horror film has made $8.5 million since debuting on March 13.

The Weinstein Company was particularly bullish on the reception for Woman In Gold, a drama about the fight to recover art stolen by the Nazis. The film picked up $2 million from 258 locations and will expand to between 800 and 1,000 venues this coming weekend.

'The film is definitely poised for a long, long run,' said Erik Lomis, the studio's distribution chief. 'That's a really solid start.'

Thanks to Furious 7, the overall box office reached $218 million, the first time that ticket sales have crossed $200 million over the Easter weekend.

'These huge results jump start momentum for the blockbuster, summer season, suggesting that 2015 is shaping up to be everything (and maybe even more) that the industry has been hoping for,' said Greg Foster, CEO of Imax Entertainment. 

Comments (31)

Share what you think

• Newest
• Oldest
• Best rated
• Worst rated

 View all

The comments below have not been moderated.

 View all

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

Add your comment

Enter your comment

By posting your comment you agree to our house rules.

Submit Comment Clear

Who is this week's top commenter? Find out now