‘Furious 7’ Premieres To Wonderful Audience Appreciation For Paul Walker

Published on March 16, 2015.

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Paul Walker. Gone but not forgotten. And his legacy continues to live on through the big screen.

Fast and Furious 7 premiered at South by Southwest Festival on Sunday night, and was enjoyed by a raucous crowd who watched the film as the typical festival audience: with great zeal. These people didn’t wait all day to fall asleep at the midnight screening–they were ready to party.

And when Paul Walker hit the screen? Cheers like a rock concert.

These events are always amazing, and this was a wonderful way to honor the memory of Paul, while debuting the 7th film of the Fast and Furious franchise. Yes, if you’ve even been to a festival premier at a big film fest, you may not catch everything in the film. The audience is generally relegated to true film fans, who know they’ll see the film multiple times for multiple reasons, but that first time… the viewing is all about living in the world of the movie.

Furious 7 director, Neal Moritz, was thrilled with the turnout, and thrilled with the response. He suggested Paul would be smiling down on them, and he felt that the film truly honored Paul’s legacy. The film closed with something of a moving tribute to Paul.

The whole happening was a bit of a surprise to Moritz, as well as those who were able to view the film. Festivals are programmed months in advance, and are built around certain cornerstone screenings. Furious 7 was added at the last minute, and served as a bonus to the lucky individuals who were fortunate to see it.

Fast and Furious 7 will open nationwide in less than three weeks: April 3, 2015.