Action star's final film sets opening day record in China

A film poster of Furious 7 in a Shanghai cinema, April 13, 2015. [Photo by Weng Lei/IC]

American action film Furious 7, featuring the late Paul Walker, set a record for all-time highest single day's takings debut in China with more than 411 million yuan (about $68.6 million) on Sunday.

Walker died aged 40 in a single-car accident and explosion in Southern California in November, 2013.

Chinese film industry insiders predict his final film may challenge record holder Transformers: Age of Extinction, which took 1.98 billion yuan (about $320 million) last summer.

The box office take on Sunday puts pressure on everybody else, said Chinese director Feng Xiaogang.

Furious 7 also raced ahead at the North American box office, taking $60 million on its second weekend.

The extension of the Fast and Furious franchise has now amassed $252.5 million in ticket sales in the US and Canada, according to box-office tracking firm Rentrak.

It has grossed a massive $800.5 million worldwide since release.

Insiders attribute good marketing and high quality to the film's success in addition to many fans wanting to see Walker's last performance.