"Fast & Furious" Shows That Consumers Are Watching Cars, Though Not Buying Them

"Fast & Furious" Shows That Consumers Are Watching Cars, Though Not Buying Them

Consumers aren't buying cars, especially sports cars, but they're watching them on the silver screen -- in droves.

The newly released movie Fast & Furious took in an April record of $71 million in ticket sales at U.S. and Canadian box offices.

The movie had the biggest April opening ever by a wide margin as cash-strapped consumers seek to escape the reality of the dreary economy to the fantasy within the movie theater. Anger Management, starring Jack Nicholson and Adam Sandler, set the previous record of $42 million in 2003.

Fast & Furious is the first film from General Electric Co.'s NBC Universal to open at No. 1 this year. The fourth in the series on illegal street racing marked the return of Vin Diesel and Paul Walker from the original film.

Inside Line, sister site to Edmunds' AutoObserver.com, provides a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Fast & Furious.

Photo by NBC Universal

One of the five BMW 5 Series cars was sacrificed during production of Fast & Furious.

Michelle Krebs:  is Editor-in-Chief of AutoObserver.com. Follow @AutoObserver on Twitter.