‘Furious 7’ Blows Franchise Past $1 Billion
On its Friday, "Furious 7" opened with $67.3 million in domestic ticket sales to add to the $938 million the franchise had already grossed, pushing the series to more than $1 billion in receipts.
This post may contain links from our sponsors and affiliates, and Flywheel Publishing may receive compensation for actions taken through them.
On its Friday, its first day in wide release, “Furious 7” opened with $67.3 million in domestic ticket sales to add to the $938 million the franchise had already grossed, pushing the series to more than $1 billion in receipts. Universal Studios, the division of Comcast Corp. (NASDAQ: CMCSA) that is responsible for all seven titles in the series, estimates that the three-day take for the weekend will reach $150 million.
If the film reaches that total, it will rank 10th on the all-time highest-grossing opening weekend list, roughly equal with “The Hunger Games” and “The Dark Knight.” If “Furious 7” reaches the $150 million mark, it will be the best-ever April opening for a movie. The film opened on 4,004 U.S. screens.
In addition to the domestic take the film opened in 63 foreign markets this weekend as well and earned $59.3 million, according to Hollywood Reporter. Globally the film is on track to earn well over $200 million on its first weekend.
“Fast & Furious 6,” released in May 2013, had the best previous opening weekend for the franchise, with $97.4 million. “Fast and Furious” grossed $71 million on its opening weekend in April 2009, and “Fast Five” opened with $86.2 million in April 2011.
“Furious 7” sold more tickets on Friday than the third film in the franchise, “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift,” earned in its 12-week theatrical run in June 2006. That film posted just $62.5 million in its U.S. release.
Final weekend estimates will be out Monday, and “official” studio reports are typically released the next day.
ALSO READ: America’s Highest Paying Companies
Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.
Paul Ausick has been writing for 247Wallst.com for more than a decade. He has written extensively on investing in the energy, defense, and technology sectors. In a previous life, he wrote technical documentation and managed a marketing communications group in Silicon Valley.
He has a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Chicago and now lives in Montana, where he fishes for trout in the summer and stays inside during the winter.
