Almost half of
that figure - $190 million (£127 million) - was made at the US box office.
Globally, it is
the fourth-highest opening of all time, beaten only by two Harry Potter films
and The Avengers.
Interest in the
film was at least partially tied to its late star Paul Walker, who died in a
car crash in before the film was completed in 2013.
Following the
fatal accident, production on Furious 7 was suspended while the filmmakers
decided whether or not to proceed.
The team
ultimately decided to delay the release from its scheduled July 2014 date.
Walker's scenes were completed using a mixture of computer animation and body
doubles - including two of the star's younger brothers, Caleb and Cody.
"This is a bittersweet instalment
in the franchise," said Phil Contrino, vice president and chief analyst at
BoxOffice.com.
"Walker's
passing made this movie more intriguing for people who hadn't seen some of the
instalments. It raised awareness and its success is a tribute to him."
Film company
Universal said Walker's death "probably created some curiosity"
amongst audiences but added: "It's not by any means the prime motivator to
see the movie".
Sleeper hit
The
adrenalin-fuelled franchise has gone from strength to strength since its
low-key beginnings as a genre movie about street racing in Los Angeles.
The original -
The Fast and the Furious, released in June 2001 - was a sleeper hit that
spawned a few moderately successful sequels.
After the third film in the series, Fast
and Furious: Tokyo Drift, left cinemas with a franchise-worst box office of
$158 million (£106 million), it seemed the series would be scrapped, or move to
the straight-to-DVD market.
Instead,
executives persuaded Vin Diesel, the star of the original film, to return and
made Fast & Furious - a heist film set overseas.
Since then, the
franchise has gone from strength to strength, with each movie outperforming the
last.
"This franchise
took the road less travelled and became a trailblazer," Jeff Bock, a box
office analyst told Variety magazine.
"You don't
have the highest-grossing film in a series come seven films into a franchise.
That has a lot to do with the way they're continually upping the ante."
Universal spared
no expense in rolling out the seventh film. The $190 million (£127 million)
production opened in 4,003 US cinemas, and earned $14 million (£9.3 million) on
365 Imax screens.
Its global
success was achieved without the help of the Chinese market, where the film
will not debut until 12 April.
"This could
be the first in the franchise to flirt with the billion dollar mark," said
Paul Dergarabedian, senior analyst for box office company Rentrak.
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