'Furious 7' revs up for biggest box office opening of 2015 to date

After seeing some of Friday's results, industry analysts now expect the film to earn $130 to $140 million throughout North America this weekend.

Earlier, they were predicting $115 to $125 million -- and even those projections were turning heads in Hollywood.

The film is sure to have the biggest opening of 2015 to date, pretty easily overtaking February's $85 million opening of "Fifty Shades of Grey."

A $130 to $140 million box office total would also drive right by last year's $95 million opening of "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" -- which was, until now, April's biggest opening ever.

"Furious 7," starring Vin Diesel and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, marks the unofficial start of the summer movie season.

The film franchise has been hugely popular for over a decade. Its loyal following has helped it make $2.4 billion worldwide since 2001.

This time around, there's even more interest, partly because the seventh film is the last to include the actor Paul Walker.

Walker died in a 2013 car crash while the film production was still taking place.

Related: Buckle up: 'Furious 7' will be emotional for Paul Walker fans

The film is being released by Universal, a division of NBCUniversal.

Coincidentally, February's "Fifty Shades of Grey" was also a Universal picture.

Industry estimates indicate that "Furious 7" made about $16 million during special Thursday night showings.

Variety reported that it is expected to earn another $58 to $60 million on Friday. These totals, even higher than originally expected, are what's driving the total projections above $130 million.

Universal will wait to publicly celebrate until sometime Saturday or Sunday.

No matter what the final total for opening weekend, it's clear that "Furious 7" will become the biggest opening in "Fast" series history, passing the $97.3 million "Fast & Furious 6" launch in May 2013.

It will also set the template for what Hollywood hopes will be a hot season after last year's dismal U.S. summer box office.

CNNMoney (New York) April 3, 2015: 9:58 PM ET

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