Furious 7 races to pole position at North American box office

The latest installment in the Fast And Furious film franchise has raced to the top of the North American box office with a record-breaking $143.6 million opening weekend haul.

Fans flocked to movie theaters over Easter (03-05Apr15) to watch tragic actor Paul Walker's final appearance in the high-speed racing series, following his death in a fiery car crash in November, 2013.

Furious 7's opening weekend gross easily outpaced the franchise's previous titles - Fast and Furious 6 earned $97 million during its first three days on release in 2013 - while the high-octane sequel also set a new record as the biggest ever opening in April, surpassing previous title-holder Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which raked in $95 million over the same weekend a year ago (14).

Furious 7 was also a big hit globally thanks to a massive $240.4 million take outside the U.S. and Canada.

Back in North America, animated family film Home is a distant number two on the box office chart, earning $27.4 million in its second week on release, while Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart's comedy Get Hard is at three with $12.9 million .