'Furious 7' surges past the USD 1 billion mark

Los Angeles: ‘Furious 7’ surged ahead of its North American box office competition for a third straight week, taking in an estimated USD 29 million to hit USD 1 billion in worldwide ticket sales.

The strong weekend showing gives the car racing action flick a USD 294 million haul in the US and Canada since its release and giving the movie certifiable blockbuster status.

The franchise of all seven ‘Fast and Furious’ films has brought in a record-breaking USD 3.39 billion, NBCUniversal said.

Slapstick comedy ‘Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2’ starring debuted in the second spot with USD 24 million in estimated sales, and stars Kevin James as the hapless, scooter-driving security guard.

Another newcomer, ‘Unfriended,’ took third on the charts with USD 16 million in sales, box office tracker Exhibitor Relations said.

The social media horror flick starring Heather Sossaman finds a chat room of friends haunted by an online account of a dead friend.