Analysts knew “Furious 7” was going to be big. They knew it was going to set the all-time record for an April opening weekend.
They did not anticipate it being this successful.
The latest in the “The Fast and the Furious” series earned a whopping $67.3 million at the box office Friday. That represents the biggest opening day total in April history. It also puts “Furious 7” on track for a weekend total in the $150 million vicinity.
Easily enough to obliterate the $95.0 million record held by “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” the projected total puts “Furious 7” in contention for the pre-summer record. That mark currently belongs to “The Hunger Games,” which earned $152.5 million in March 202.
Ahead of this weekend, industry estimates were eyeing a bow in the $110-130 million range.
Benefiting from stellar reviews, escalating momentum in the series and the fact that it features the final appearance of original star Paul Walker, who died before the film’s completion in 2013, “Furious 7” is an absolute juggernaut.
No other film’s weekend gross will come close. “Home,” set to rank as the weekend’s runner-up, earned $11.3 million on Friday. “Get Hard” followed with $5.0 million, while “Cinderella” ($4.1 million) and “Insurgent” ($4.0 million) formed the balance of the top five.
