Emotional Vin Diesel pays tribute to Paul Walker at Furious 7 previews, as UAE release date is confirmed

Furious 7 star struggles to speak as he introduces the film to audiences at special advance screenings of the film, which fans in the UAE will get to see a day early.

Vin Diesel was overcome with emotion this week when he honoured his late Fast and the Furious co-star Paul Walker at special preview screening of Furious 7. Mario Anzuoni / Reuters

Abu Dhabi plays a key role in Furious 7, so it's only fair that fans in the UAE will get to see it a little earlier than many audiences around the world.

Vox Cinemas has confirmed that the latest film in the Fast and the Furious franchise will open in the UAE on Thursday, April 2, a day before the official US release date.

Meanwhile, it's proving to be an emotional week for the film's star Vin Diesel. On March 17, the 47-year-old actor announced on Facebook the birth of his third child with girlfriend Paloma Jiménez, 31.

The same day and the day before, he delighted fans of the franchise when he turned up for advance screenings of the film in Los Angeles.

In the first, he says that he had come from the hospital, and when the audience reacts with concern he quickly adds, “No, good thing.”

He then says: “I had to introduce the first screening in California, where the whole franchise started.

“As you know, this was a very personal and important film to us,” he added before giving a touching, heartfelt tribute to co-star Paul Walker, who he nicknamed “Pablo” and came to think of as a brother, who died in an off-set road accident while the film was in production.

Visibly moved and struggling to speak at times, he said: ""Every time when I saw [a new Fast & Furious] movie at the premiere, Paul Walker and I would go off to the side, and he would always tell me, 'Vin, the best one's still in the can.' Well I hope that tonight, you let Pablo know that this is the best one for you guys.

“This was a labour of love. It was in some ways hardest movie I’ve ever had to do, because the relationships that you see on film are so real.

“When the tragedy happened, I lost my best friend. I lost my brother.”

The actor then struggled to continue, and the crowd shouted words of comfort and encouragement, including one man who said: “ You’ve got family here, Vin.”

The actor responded: “Aw, I love that.”

He finished by telling the crowd: “Know that this is our gift to you.” Then, pointing to an image of Walker on the screen, he added: “And more importantly, it’s for my brother there. Let it be the legacy we know he deserves.”

Some of Diesel's co-stars attended similar preview screenings in other US cities: Tyrese Gibson in San Francisco, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges in Atlanta and Jordana Brewster in Miami. Watch the videos here and here.

It came as the hype surrounding the eagerly anticipated film reached new heights when Etihad Airways, with a little help from Diesel, unveiled a special Fast & Furious 777 airliner that will fly between Abu Dhabi and Los Angeles as part of the celebrations surrounding the release of the film, which will have its world premiere in LA on April 1.