It was a fast and furious weekend for the late Paul Walker, Vin Diesel and friends. They scored $143.6 million for “Fast and Furious 7” and landed with the 9th biggest opening weekend ever. They also screeched into a worldwide finish too with a total of $384,023,000 internationally. Nothing else came close, including all 6 of the previous installments. Universal Pictures is having a booming 2015 so far because “Fifty Shades of Grey” was the fast and furious of lite bondage films. They should do a mashup where they tie someone to a speeding car. (Just kidding!)

In other news: Fidel Castro appeared in public yesterday for the first time in a year.

Hollywood is certainly no country for old men. Al Pacino can tell you. The Oscar and Tony winner, a legend, has seen one good film, “The Humbling,” turned to pulp by its distributor instead of getting a real release. His current film, “Danny Collins,” is getting a slightly better launch, but just slightly. So far “Danny Collins” is only available in a few places.

Now comes “Boychoir.” Double Oscar winner Dustin Hoffman stars in what should have been a big holiday release. The movie debuted in Toronto, and someone should have sent it out for Christmas release. Instead “Boychoir” has quietly died. This weekend it’s playing in an off run theater in Greenwich Village and a couple of houses in Montreal.

In other words, “Boychoir” is DOA. It may also be VOD. And soon DVR. Maybe HBO. Who knows?

It’s not like “Boychoir” was bad or unwatchable. Quite the contrary. It’s a little like “Mr. Holland’s Opus” and “Dead Poet Society,” two movies that if they were released in 2015 might have the same fate. It’s directed by Oscar winner François Girard (“The Red Violin”). A smart marketing campaign could have really caught on. But I’m afraid that effort was not made. It’s too bad. “Boychoir” was a good family film, and something for adults. But there were no car crashes, no special effects and no good cursing or sexual violence.

Too bad.

UPDATE: The Friday night box office was much bigger than anyone expected– $67.3 million. The three day weekend could be $150 million. Stay Tuned…

EARLIER: Death sells. “Fast and Furious 7,” Paul Walker’s final film and last appearance in the series, is going to have a record weekend. “FF7” should do well over $100 million– maybe as much as $125 million. That’s considerably more than “FF6” did in 2013, when it made $97 million Fri to Sun of Memorial Day weekend, and a total of $117 million for the four days. It’s also more than any “FF” movie has made.

The promotion is epic, as they say now adays. Vin Diesel even named his new baby after Walker. All the actors have been thoroughly deposed about Walker and his death– a tragedy certainly, and played now like it’s the loss of Marlon Brando and Lawrence Olivier. Walker was by all accounts a fun guy, good friend, and parent. But great actor? There won’t be an honorary Oscar coming anytime soon.

Since Walker’s death in November 2013, his family sued Porsche, saying the Carrera driven by Roger Rodas with Walker as a passenger was at fault. But Porsche says the whole thing was Rodas’s fault. After an investigation they determined that the tires were 9 years old and that the car had been altered beyond their specifications.

Still, “FF7” has been getting good reviews for its genre. It will be a suitable ending for Walker and the series. And the money that comes in will make everyone feel better.