Furious 7 Becomes the Fourth Highest-Grossing Film in Cinema History

The latest installment of the "Fast and Furious" franchise, titled "Furious 7," has achieved a global box office gross of $1.34 billion, making it the fourth highest-grossing film in cinema history. The death of Paul Walker, one of the film's stars who died in a car accident during filming, may have contributed to the film's popularity. Many fans of the series and action cinema attended "Furious 7" to bid farewell to the young actor. Directed by Malaysian filmmaker James Wan, known for horror films like "The Conjuring" and the first installment of the "Saw" series, "Furious 7" premiered on December 1, 2013, following the announcement of Walker's tragic death in a car accident while he was not driving. According to Walker's communications manager, Amy Wan Aiden, he was en route to a charity event with his friend Roger Rodas when their red Porsche crashed, killing both occupants. The accident occurred in an area with a maximum speed limit of 45 miles per hour (about 70 kilometers per hour). The 2005 red Porsche Carrera GT caught fire after colliding with a light pole and then a tree, resulting in the death of the prominent actor known for his driving skills in the films. However, production of the film did not stop after Walker's death; his brothers, Cody Walker (26) and Caleb Walker (37), were invited by Universal Studios to complete the remaining scenes. Ultimately, Universal managed to film the remaining scenes featuring Paul Walker using his brothers and computer-generated imagery to continue the character of Brian O'Conner, played by Walker. Paul Walker, alongside Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez, was part of the original "Fast and Furious" series, which has produced some of Universal's highest-grossing films. The "Fast and Furious" series began in 2001, and the first six films grossed $2.4 billion worldwide. Among these, the sixth film was the most successful, earning $238 million in the U.S. and $550 million internationally. The release of "Furious 7" started with a phenomenal box office, earning $140 million during its opening weekend, breaking previous records and ranking among the best openings. "Furious 7" has also set records in many countries, including China and Russia, generating millions of dollars for the filmmakers and cinema owners. Recently, the film surpassed the previous record held by the fourth highest-grossing film, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2," but it is unlikely to reach the third highest-grossing film, "The Avengers." The second installment of "The Avengers," titled "Avengers: Age of Ultron," is set to release this week, and predictions suggest that records will be broken again. James Cameron remains at the top of the global box office with two films, and no other director has been able to break his record. Interestingly, he once surpassed his own previous record with "Avatar" in 2009, overtaking "Titanic" to reclaim the top spot. Among the ten highest-grossing films in cinema history, "Titanic" is the only non-sequel film on the list. The rest are sequels or have continued in some form (with the second and third installments of "Avatar" currently in production and a sequel to "Frozen" also on the way). The list of highest-grossing films is always calculated without accounting for inflation. If inflation were considered, "Gone with the Wind," directed by Victor Fleming, which held the top spot for 25 years, would still be the highest-grossing film of all time. The list of the ten highest-grossing films in cinema history is as follows: 1- "Avatar" (2009) with $2.787 billion 2- "Titanic" (1997) with $2.186 billion 3- "The Avengers" (2012) with $1.518 billion 4- "Furious 7" (2015) with $1.348 billion 5- "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" (2011) with $1.341 billion 6- "Frozen" (2013) with $1.279 billion 7- "Iron Man 3" (2013) with $1.215 billion 8- "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" (2011) with $1.123 billion 9- "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" (2003) with $1.120 billion 10- "Skyfall" (2012) with $1.108 billion.