Universal has announced that in just 17 days, Furious 7 has passed the $1 billion mark at the global box office, making it the fastest live-action release ever to do so.

The blockbuster, starring Vin Diesel and the late Paul Walker, has taken an estimated $237m in North America and $735m overseas, raising the Fast & Furious franchise to more than $3bn worldwide.

Universal president of domestic distribution Nick Carpou said: "We're incredibly proud to watch Furious 7 take its place as the only original live-action franchise to reach these kinds of results at the box office.

"Our cast, filmmakers and all of our Universal and Fast family deserve credit for working so hard to make Furious 7 a huge success, and we look forward to continuing to watch the film grow over the next few weeks."

The box office smash was the last movie Paul Walker starred in. The American actor died in a car accident on November 30, 2013. Three of his films were released posthumously: Hours, Brick Mansions, and Furious 7.

The film's tribute song to Walker, 'See You Again' by Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth, has also broken records after it achieved the most Spotify streams in a single day, and looks set to become the new No. 1 in the UK Official Singles Chart tonight.

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Watch the Furious 7 trailer and 'See You Again (ft. Charlie Puth).' video, below: