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 In the film, Vin Diesel's character says "those who are lost
go on in the hearts of the living" and that was how it felt for
many fans attending the midnight screening on Sunday.
"Furious 7", out in theaters on April 3, is Walker's last
appearance as law-enforcement officer Brian O'Connor. The
40-year-old died as a passenger in a one-car crash in Santa
Clarita, California, in November 2013.
Before the screening, the film's producer Neal Moritz appealed
to viewers not to reveal what becomes of Walker's character in
the franchise, which has grossed more than $2 billion globally.
"We honestly lost a dear friend, brother, comrade, while we were
making this movie," Moritz said. "When we decided we were going
to continue this movie, we were determined to honor his legacy
and our love for him."
Walker had completed most of his scenes before his death, but
Comcast Corp-owned Universal Pictures was forced to put
production on hold to figure out how to continue filming without
him.
Walker's brothers stepped in for a few remaining scenes, which
make a seamless transition in the completed film.
Walker's character Brian appears within the first 15 minutes as
a settled family man, but he's restless for the underworld of
crime, illegal street racing and heists led by Diesel's Dominic.
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 The plot, filled with one-liners, sees Diesel, Walker and
co-stars Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris and Michelle Rodriguez take on
a villain (Jason Statham) in cities across the world.
Despite Walker's death, filmmakers did not shy away from the
turbulent storyline of "Furious 7" in which his character, along
with the rest of the cast, are thrown into high-octane,
life-threatening situations.
In one scene, all five drive cars out of an airplane and
parachute into a mountain-top race.
The film ended with a tribute to Walker, closing with the words
"For Paul" written in black against a white backdrop.
(This story corrects crash location to Santa Clarita from Malibu
in third paragraph)
(Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Michael Roddy and
Gareth Jones)
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