Written by Chris Morgan and directed by James Wan, the seventh instalment of the action-packed Fast & Furious franchise was shot in parts of Abu Dhabi and starred Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges and Tyrese Gibson.
From the scene featuring the Fast & Furious stars walking down the front steps of the iconic Emirates Palace hotel to the convoy of super-luxurious sports cars blasting through the Liwa Desert on one of the world’s best driving roads – a perfect asphalt ribbon winding through rolling golden-red dunes – this film showcases some of the UAE capital’s most stunning locations, providing the perfect backdrop for a pedal-to-the-metal, adrenaline-fuelled adventure. One of the film’s most iconic scenes, a vertigo-inducing, death-defying leap in the world’s most exclusive supercar, the Lykan Hypersport, took place between two of the high-rise, glass-clad Etihad Towers.
It's a bit different to what the Fast & Furious franchise has seen in the past.
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Thanks to the film, not only did millions of viewers across the world see Abu Dhabi on the big screen, but the movie’s stars also shared their love for the emirate on the red carpet at the premiere. Actor and rapper Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges, who played Tej Parker in the film, said, “When I heard we were coming to Abu Dhabi, I said ‘Yup, that falls right in line with where we need to be’. ”
Furious 7 premiered on April 1 2015 with the biggest opening weekend of all the franchise’s films. Globally, the movie took US$384 million at the box office, making it the fourth-biggest worldwide debut of all time. Furious 7 also took the number one position in all 63 international markets, beating all six previous films.