‘Furious 7’ crosses $1 billion at worldwide box office

“Furious 7� is joining the billion-dollar box-office club in record time.

The Universal Pictures blockbuster is set to cross the $1-billion worldwide box-office mark in just 17 days, the studio said Friday.

It’s the fastest film to reach the milestone, clocking in ahead of even Disney/Marvel’s “The Avengers� (2012), 20th Century Fox’s “Avatar� (2009) and Warner Bros.’ “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2� (2011). Those three films got to $1 billion in 19 days.

The global total for “Furious 7� consists of $273.7 million from the U.S. and Canada and a staggering $735.2 million from overseas, with foreign accounting for about 73% of grosses.

The movie is also 103-year-old Universal’s first to hit $1 billion in its initial theatrical run, marking a high point for the long-running, high-octane “Fast & Furious� series.

It’s now the 20th film added to the list of billion-dollar-grossing films, topped by “Avatar� ($2.79 billion) and “Titanic� ($2.19 billion).

Universal’s domestic distribution president, Nick Carpou, and international distribution head Duncan Clark celebrated the achievement in a statement.

“What started as a small film about the street racing sub-culture of East Los Angeles has become a global phenomenon with ‘Furious 7’ shattering records in so many territories around the globe,� said Clark.

The movie has done particularly well in China, where it posted the biggest opening day ever ($63.5 million), crushing the previous record held by “Transformers: Age of Extinction� ($36 million).

NBCUniversal Vice Chairman Ron Meyer said in a blog post that he was “incredibly proud� of the Universal film team, and noted the handling of the death of franchise star Paul Walker. The actor died in a car crash unrelated to the movie while “Furious 7� was in the middle of production.

“[O]ur team [...] did what they do best: They focused on family first; then talked to the fans; then got to work on making a great film that we can all be proud of,� Meyer wrote. “We were all saddened and honored to be a part of Paul’s final career performance and to celebrate his defining role in our lives.�

The next movie with a good chance to nab $1 billion at the global box office is “Avengers: Age of Ultron,� which hits U.S. theaters in May. The original “Avengers� amassed $1.52 billion.

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