The upcoming film adaptation of Fifty Shades of Grey has become the fastest-selling R-rated advanced ticket in cinema history, indicating a big box office for the film and hopeful franchise.
According to data from Fandango, in the fifteen years that the company has been selling advance tickets for movies, Fifty Shades of Grey leads in ticket sales among other R-rated films. In second place is Sex and the City 2, followed by The Hangover Part II and III, with 2014’s hit, Gone Girl, completing the top five. In addition to ticket sales, it ranks #4 on Fandango’s list of most anticipated movies for 2015, trailing behind Star Wars Episode VII, The Avengers, and the last installment of The Hunger Games.
Fandago’s Chief Correspondent went so far as to release a statement regarding the sensational advanced ticket sales for Fifty Shades of Grey:
“It’s tracking to be Fandango’s fastest-selling R-rated movie of all time. Very few books can claim true national phenomenon status – and Fifty Shades ranks with Twilight, The Hunger Games and Gone Girl as novels that entered the zeitgeist from coast to coast. Fans of the book have been waiting for years to see their favorite sexy characters come to life on the big screen, and they are clearly fueling our sensational advance sales.”
Just recently, Fifty Shades was given its R-rating for “unusual behavior,” which is apparently the MPAA’s way of saying the film contains scenes of sadomasochistic activity.
This first film is expected to be a smash hit, leading to the continuation of the story. Author E.L. James published two additional novels after Fifty Shades of Grey, and judging by these advanced ticket sales, it would not be a surprise to see the next two films green lit before the first film even opens on February 13.
[photo credit: imdb]