( CNN ) Universal 's `` Furious 7 '' is about to make history . `` Furious 7 '' — the final film from the late Paul Walker — is expected to gross $ 115 million or more when opening at the North American box office this weekend , the top showing ever for an April title , not accounting for inflation.Domestically , it is getting the widest release in Universal 's history with a theater count of roughly 4,003 ( including Imax locations ) , eclipsing `` Despicable Me 2 '' ( 3,956 ) . Anything north of 4,000 is usually reserved for summer tentpoles and year-end titles . Overseas , the movie is also poised to do massive business , putting its global debut north of $ 250 million . `` Furious 7 '' is opening day-and-date around the world on 10,500 screens in 63 territories , save for a few major markets including China , Russia and Japan . THR : 'Furious 7 ' scores Thailand release despite Tony Jaa contract dispute . The current record-holder for top April opening domestically is `` Captain America : The Winter Soldier , '' which debuted to $ 95 million from 3,928 theaters last year . `` Furious 7 '' is likewise poised to nab the biggest opening of 2015 to date . And if it beats the $ 121.9 million launch of `` The Hunger Games : Mockingjay — Part 1 '' in November 2014 , it will mark the largest three-day opening since `` The Hunger Games : Catching Fire '' ( $ 158 million ) in November 2013 . The movie enjoys massive awareness and interest , due to both the popularity of the street-racing series and Walker 's death . The last film , '' Fast & Furious 6 , '' debuted to a franchise-best $ 117 million over the four-day Memorial Day weekend in 2012 , including $ 97.4 million for the three days , on its way to grossing $ 788.7 million worldwide . Universal intended to open `` Furious 7 '' on July 11 , 2014 , but production was halted in November 2013 when Walker died in a car crash during the Thanksgiving hiatus . After director James Wan , writer Chris Morgan and Universal pored over existing footage and tweaked the script , production resumed in April 2014 . THR : Studio profitability report - Who 's up and who 's down . CGI and voice effects were used in some scenes featuring Walker 's detective character , Brian O'Conner , with Walker 's brothers , Caleb and Cody , used as stand-ins . `` Furious 7 '' pits Vin Diesel 's Dominic Toretto and crew ( which includes Michelle Rodriguez and Tyrese Gibson , among others , as well as Walker ) against Jason Statham 's Deckard Shaw , out for revenge after the death of his brother . `` Furious 7 '' is expected to usher in a string of mega-openings at the box office this year . Disney and Marvel 's `` The Avengers : Age of Ultron , '' set to open May 1 , has n't come on tracking yet , but some forecasters are already suggesting it could score the top opening of all time domestically , eclipsing the record-breaking start of `` The Avengers '' ( $ 207 million ) in 2012 . See the original story at The Hollywood Reporter 's website . ©2015 The Hollywood Reporter . All rights reserved .
The film is expected to gross $ 115 million or more . Paul Walker died in a car crash during filming . `` Furious 7 '' poised to nab the biggest opening of 2015 so far .