Sequel sets franchise record with $72.5 mil opening

The "Fast" opening was the biggest of the year so far, well surpassing the previous frame's $59.3 million debut by "Monsters."

A third sequel in Uni's hot-rodding franchise, the Justin Lin-directed "Fast" yielded personal bests for the helmer and co-stars Vin Diesel and Paul Walker. The topliners were paired in lead roles for the first time since the franchise original.

"Fast" -- which was 40% co-financed by Relativity Media -- had been set scheduled for this summer until Uni accelerated its release. Uni distribution president Nikki Rocco said the spring slotting actually seemed to help.

"I think it was a smart move," Rocco said. "The opening includes the fact that the business has been excellent, and there hasn't been anything like this for a while -- hard-core action that's PG-13. So I think the timing was absolutely perfect."

"The Fast and the Furious," the 2001 franchise starter, bowed with $40.1 million and rang up $144.5 million overall domestically. A first sequel, 2003's "2 Fast 2 Furious," debuted with $50.5 million but registered just $127.1 million domestically, and 2006's "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" opened with $24 million en route to a limp $62.5 million domestic tally.

"Fast" audiences were comprised 57% of males, with 59% of patrons under age 25. The audience was ethnically diverse, comprised 46% of Hispanic moviegoers, 28% Caucasian, 16% African American and 8% Asian.

The latest sequel's outsized bow also set a new monthly mark. The previous biggest April opener had been 2003's "Anger Management," which unspooled with $42.2 million.