The R-rated Fifty Shades of Grey is quickly turning into the “go to” Valentine’s Day destination for couples, according to data obtained from online ticketing service, Fandango.
The erotic film, which is an adaptation of E.L. James’ bestselling novel, is on track to become the fourth best advance seller in the history of Fandango, trailing only The Twilight Saga: New Moon, the final Harry Potter film, and the original Hunger Games.
While women are likely to make up a majority of the audience, according to MovieTickets.com, via The Hollywood Reporter, 80 percent of ticket sales for Saturday ( Valentine’s Day) were purchased by couples.
The film, which was produced on a budget of only $40 million, is expected to bring in more than $60 million over the four-day holiday weekend.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, box office experts believe Fifty Shades may outperform industry expectations, due to the massive hype surrounding the film.
Also expected to perform well internationally, Fifty Shades will open virtually everywhere, with the exception of some predominantly Islamic countries; Malaysia has banned the erotica film from a possible debut.
James’ trilogy has currently sold more than 100 million copies worldwide of three books and has been translated into 52 languages.