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11/21/2024 11:20:33 pm

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'Furious 7' Record-Breaking Performance at the Box Office

Furious 7

(Photo : REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni) Cast member Vin Diesel poses for fans at the premiere of "Furious 7" at the TCL Chinese theatre in Hollywood, California April 1, 2015. The movie opens in the U.S. on April 3.

"Furious 7," Universal Picture's high-speed thriller may be the studio's biggest blockbuster in history.  The latest installment of  the Fast & Furious franchise, which is a tribute to the late actor Paul Walker, has already topped the other previous installments of the 14-year-old franchise in just two weeks.

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According to studio estimates, 'Furious 7' made US$60.6 million in North American theaters in its second week, dropping only 59 percent from its US$147.2 million debut last weekend.  With an international total of  US$195 million over the weekend, "Furious 7's" total earnings are already at US$800 million. At the rate it's going,  "Furious 7" may likely beat the studio's 1993 "Jurassic Park" that earned US$1.02 billion worldwide.  

The interest of the fans as to how the film will handle Paul Walker's death could have drove the ticket sales.  The actor was killed in a car crash in 2013 before the film was completed.

According to Paul Dergarabedian, a box office analyst for Rentrak (RENT), the success of "Furious 7" can be attributed to its fans, saying people are talking about the touching footage of Paul Walker in the film.  "They're creating great word of mouth, " he said.

Currently, "Furious 7" is number one in 67 countries.   Its debut in China was the largest at US$68.6 million in just one day and in Russia, it had the largest four-day opening weekend at $15 million.

Watch out for Universal Pictures' next big hit in June, when the next "Jurassic Park" hits the theaters.

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