Weekend Box Office: 'Furious 7' Sets Record With Massive Debut

Over the past few years, the movie industry has been struggling to put people in seats. In one weekend, "Furious 7" may have given them the answer.

The newest installment in the "Fast & Furious" franchise pulled in a massive $143.6 million domestically, with a global total of $384 million. That easily broke the opening weekend record for the series, and placed it fourth in first weekend grosses globally.

While the franchise's rabid fan base and the fact that this was the late Paul Walker's final film may have influenced the big opening, there's a very telling stat about the audience for this film: the U.S. audience over this weekend was 75% non-white.

There's a clear trend in the movie industry that American movies starring diverse casts and focusing on non-white characters and cultures are doing well, even if they're not major tentpoles. Tyler Perry has had consistently successful releases even in the tracherous comedy genre, and movies like "Best Man Holiday" have been recent surprises as well.

"Furious 7" didn't have much competition over the weekend, as all other major films were second-week holdovers. "Home" placed second with another $27 million, while the Will Ferrell/Kevin Hart comedy "Get Hard" brought in $12.9 million at #3.

"Cinderella" continued a strong run with $10.2 million, while "The Divergent Series: Insurgent" brought in another $10 million to pass $100 million domestically.

Here are the top five for the week with cumulative totals:

1. "Furious 7" - $143.6M

2. "Home" - $27.4M ($95.6M)

3. "Get Hard" - $12.9M ($57M)

4. "Cinderella" - $10.2M ($167.2M)

5. "Insurgent" - $10 ($103.3)