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APEX Hollywood Shortlist: Furious 7 Races Into Hollywood Record Books

April 7, 2015  | Written by Tomas Romero

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Breaking just about every record in the book for the seventh film in a series, including number one opening among movies not based on a comic-book or young adult novel, the latest entry in Universal’s hugely-popular Fast & Furious franchise, Furious 7, burned up the domestic box office over the weekend with an epic $147.1M. Globally, Furious surged into even higher gear to the tune of $245M, and considering the fact that the film has yet to open in such major markets at China, Japan and Russia, the road ahead is definitely paved with green for Universal.

Whether it was the film’s diverse, multi-ethnic cast, the show-stopping stunts featured in the trailer (which opened with cars literally driving out of an airplane!) or fans coming out to see how the Furious team wrapped up the story for Paul Walker’s character after the actor’s untimely death in 2013, fans turned out in droves for the latest instalment. And though talk of a Furious 8 is just talk for now, with numbers like these a sequel is all but inevitable, so buckle up!

Also opening over the weekend was The Weinstein Company’s Woman in Gold, which took the seventh spot on the charts with just over $2M in ticket sales. Based on the fascinating true-life story of the late Maria Altmann’s bruising (and ultimately successful) legal battle with the Austrian government to reclaim Gustav Klimpt’s now iconic painting of her aunt, which was stolen from her family by the Nazis just before the war, Woman stars Oscar-winner Helen Mirren as Altmann and Ryan Reynolds as her lawyer. Directed by My Week with Marilyn helmer, Simon Curtis from a script by Alexis Kaye Campbell, Woman also stars Katie Holmes and indie sensations Daniel Brühl (Rush) and Tatiana Maslany (TV’s Orphan Black) in memorable supporting turns.

In other specialized news, IFC’s micro-budgeted romantic comedy 5 to 7 opened on two screens to a modest, but promising $18K. Starring Star Trek Into Darkness’ Anton Yelchin as a young NYC writer who is having an affair with a married French woman (Skyfall’s Bérénice Marlohe) in an open marriage, the film chronicles their playful, blossoming romance during the only hours in the day in which they can be together: 5 to 7. Directed by veteran writer/director/producer Victor Levin (Mad Men, Mad About You), 5 to 7 also features indie regular Olivia Thirlby (Juno) and Oscar nominees Glenn Close and Frank Langella as Yelchin’s understandably concerned parents.

Complete Box Office Results – April 3 – 5, 2015