“Furious 7” is breaking records and it hasn’t even opened yet.
Pre-sales for the latest entry in Universal Pictures’ street racing action franchise surpassed those of last year’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” to become April’s biggest pre-seller just before 2 p.m. Wednesday, online ticket broker Fandango reported.
There’s still a day to go before “Furious 7” opens in 4,003 theaters in North America and another 10,500 overseas – both records for Universal — so that margin will increase. It’s also getting a record IMAX theater release of more than 810 of the giant screen chain’s locations globally.
If “Furious 7” tops $115 million in its debut at the box office as analysts are projecting, it will beat the mark for biggest April opening weekend, set last year by Disney and Marvel’s “Captain America” with $95 million.
Theater owners reported hundreds of sold-out “Furious 7” screenings and were scrambling to create additional show times for the action sequel, according to a Fandango spokesman.
In another testament to the intensity and depth of fan devotion, 86 percent of ticket buyers surveyed by Fandango said they were planning to see it more than once, and 91 percent said they were looking forward to the next film in the franchise.
Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Michele Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson and newcomer Jason Statham top the ensemble cast of “Furious 7,” which is directed by James Wan from a screenplay by Chris Morgan. It also features the final big screen performance of Paul Walker, who died in a car accident in November 2013.