Furious 7 Tickets: Finale Series Breaks Box Office Records at $143.6M During Weekend Debut

By Cheri Cheng - 06 Apr '15 13:03PM

"Furious 7" opened to a massive $143.6 million this weekend in the U.S. The latest installment of the "Fast & Furious" franchise also brought in $240.4 million internationally, leading to a grand worldwide total of $384 million.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the "Furious 7" opening was a series best. It was also the biggest launch for any domestic movie since The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, which opened in November 2013, and the biggest weekend opening in April for any movie within the U.S.

In the international market, "Furious 7's" $240.4 million, earned from 63 markets, is the No. 3 largest international opening of all time. The movie also became Universal's biggest international opening. The international numbers did not include one of the biggest markets, China, where the movie will open on April 12.

In terms of worldwide numbers, "Furious 7" became the fourth-highest opening of all time. The first three spots belong to the last Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 ($483.2 million), Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ($394.4 million) and The Avengers ($392.5 million).

The death of Paul Walker and the diverse cast, who included Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Tyrese Gibson and Ludacris helped draw in massive crowds.

"Someone that I admire quite a lot recently said this is a franchise that really looks like America, and there are characters that everyone can relate to. I think that's a big plus," said Universal president of domestic distribution Nicholas Carpou. "And I think Paul was another big reason for people to come to our movie."

"Furious 7" is the last movie for Walker, who died tragically in a car crash. After his death, director James Wan, writer Chris Morgan and Universal had to change the script. Walker's brothers, Caleb and Cody, were used as stand-ins for Walker's character, Brian O'Conner.

In the latest installment of the franchise, the plot follows Deckard Shaw's (Statham) desire to avenge his comatose brother, leading Shaw to seek revenge against Dominic Toretto (Diesel) and his crew.