Fast & Furious 7

Fast & Furious 7 roared into cinemas over the weekend and has enjoyed critical success as well as already being a box office smash.

We haven't had a Fast & Furious movie hit the big screen in two years, but this one is extra poignant as it marks the final movie for actor Paul Walker.

The movie has gone on to enjoy one of the most successful highest grossing opening weekends of all time - and we take a look at some of the movies that have also tasted that success in recent years.

- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 - $483,189,427

It was back in the summer of 2011 when Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 hit the big screen, bringing the popular franchise to a close.

Seeing as this was the final Harry Potter movie, it comes as no surprise to see fans flock to cinemas in their droves to see it and say their goodbye to characters that they have grown up watching.

The movie grossed over $483 million in just its opening weekend - making it the highest grossing opening weekend performance of all time. No movie has got close to matching that performance.

David Yates was in the director's chair for the final movie, which went on to gross in excess of $1.3 billion. Deathly Hallows - Part 2 is the highest grossing film in the franchise and would be the only Harry Potter movie that would break the $1 billion barrier.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2

- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - $394,022,354

And it is Harry Potter in second place as well as Half Blood Prince was a box office hit when it was released back in 2009 - hard to believe that this movie is six year old already.

Upon release, the movie broke the biggest single day worldwide gross record and went on to gross over $394 million in the first weekend on release.

Half Blood Prince was the sixth film in the Harry Potter franchise and went on to take over $934 million worldwide by the end of its theatrical run. It was the second highest grossing film of that year, behind Avatar.

Half Blood Prince is currently the fifth grossing highest film in the franchise and is the twenty-ninth most successful movie of all time.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

- Avengers Assemble - $392,538,708

Avengers Assemble was my favourite movie of 2012 as we saw some of Marvel's biggest and most popular characters come together for the first time under the watchful eye of director Joss Whedon.

This was a movie that was surrounded in major excitement... and that resulted in a HUGE box office performance. The movie grossed over $392 million in its opening weekend as well as going on to win over the critics.

By the end of its theatrical run, Avengers Assemble had grossed over $1.5 billion at the global box office and is the third highest grossing movie of all time - behind Avatar and Titanic.

It is also the highest grossing Marvel film - Iron Man 3 is the only other Marvel film that has broken $1 billion at the box office. However, it may not stay Marvel's highest grossing film for very much longer as Avengers: Age of Ultron is now only a couple of weeks away from release.

Avengers Assemble

- Fast & Furious 7 - $392.2

Who would have known back in 2001 that the Fast & Furious franchise would be stronger than ever nearly fifteen years on.

Fast & Furious 7 has proved to be a monster hit on its first weekend of release and has, so far, grossed over $392.2 million worldwide - just narrowly missing out on surpassing Avengers Assemble.

The movie has topped the U.S. box office - taking $147 million to easily see off the competition. The movie is already third in the highest grossing films of 2015, and will surpass Cinderella comfortably later this week.

Fifty Shades of Grey is currently the most successful film of this year with a gross of $566 million - but I don't think it is going to hold onto that title for very much longer.

Fast 7 Furious 6 is currently the highest grossing film in the franchise with $788.7 million - it remains to see if the seventh instalment can surpass that total.

Fast & Furious 7

- Transformers: Dark of the Moon - $382,425,000

Transformers has been a hugely successful franchise since it hit the big screen for the first time back in the summer of 2007. In 2011, the third film in the franchise was released and enjoyed big box office success.

Michael Bay was back in the director's chair and the movie grossed over $382 million at the global box office in the opening weekend - despite the less than favourable reviews.

In fact, film go-ers seemed to ignore the poor review completely as the movie went on to be a box office smash, grossing over $1,123 billion worldwide.

It finished 2011 as the second highest grossing film of the year, just behind Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 and just in front of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

Dark of the Moon remains the highest grossing film in the Transformers franchise and the seventh highest grossing film of all time.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

- Spider-Man 3 - $381,660,892

Spider-Man 3 is the oldest film inside our top six and was released back in May 2007. It would be the third and final Spider-Man film to be directed by Sam Raimi and starring Tobey Maguire.

The movie went on to gross over £381 million in its opening weekend and took over $890 by the end of the worldwide theatrical run.

Spider-Man 3 finished the year as the third highest grossing film of the year: behind Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

Despite the movies that have come before and after the release of Spider-Man 3, it remains the most successful Spider Man film to have hit the big screen.

Spider-Man 3

Iron Man 3, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 complete the top ten.


by for www.femalefirst.co.uk
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