Rivaling the staying power of Hollywood's most iconic franchises — think Harry Potter and James Bond  — Universal's Furious 7 raced to a $147.2 million debut. The global total came even higher than Sunday's estimates thanks to stronger-than-expected traffic on Easter. On Sunday, the domestic estimate was $143.6 million, while the international estimate was $240.4 million.

The desire to see Walker one last time no doubt contributed greatly to Furious 7's stunning performance. Universal intended to open the seventh Fast and Furious installment on July 11, 2014, but production was halted in November 2013 when Walker died in a tragic car crash during a Thanksgiving hiatus.

Someone that I admire quite a lot recently said this is a franchise that really looks like America, and there are characters that everyone can relate to. I think that's a big plus," said Universal president of domestic distribution Nicholas Carpou. "And I think Paul was another big reason for people to come to our movie."