''2 Fast'' is biggest opening by black director

The cars aren’t the only speedy elements in ”2 Fast 2 Furious.” The film’s box office take is fast as well. The sequel took in money so quickly this weekend that it allowed director John Singleton to break a record. The film’s $50.5 million take is the largest opening ever for a movie made by an African-American director.

”2 Fast” beat the record of $42.3 million set by Keenen Ivory Wayans’ ”Scary Movie 2” in the summer of 2000. At the time, that figure was also the biggest opening ever, for an R-rated movie, though that benchmark has since been surpassed by ”Hannibal” and ”The Matrix Reloaded,” which opened with a take of $91.8 million.

Singleton holds two other records as well. His debut feature, ”Boyz N the Hood” made him, at 24, the youngest director ever nominated for an Academy Award, and the only black filmmaker nominated for a Best Director Oscar. Those records have stood since 1992; we’ll go out on a limb, though, and predict that, for all its box office success, ”2 Fast” isn’t going to earn him another Oscar nod this year.