Shades of green: How studio roped audiences into seeing 'Grey'
LOS ANGELES - When Universal bumped "Fifty Shades of Grey" from August 2014 to Valentine's Day, 2015, it seemed like a cheesy gimmick. Now that box office results are in, it's clear that was the most brilliant stroke of all.
The adaptation of author EL James' erotic novel debuted to an astounding $94.4 million domestic and $172 million international across the long President's Day weekend, breaking box office records for the month of February, female filmmakers and R-rated movies in what is proving to be a perfect storm of intrigue, brand, and crafty execution by Universal Pictures.
"Fifty Shades of Grey" was always expected to be a fruitful endeavor - that's why nearly every studio in town clamored to scoop up the rights to James' phenomenally successful trilogy in 2012. When Focus Features and parent company Universal were the lucky winners, the hype only intensified as fans hungered for everything from casting rumors, to first photos of stars Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan, and clues about what would make the final cut.
But fans alone don't explain a blockbuster debut and what became an event movie centered on a single date: Valentine's Day.
"It follows in the tradition of the edgier, naughtier, so-called romance movies, and that paid off. Audiences like a good R-rated escape," said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for box office firm Rentrak, noting racy films like "Last Tango in Paris," "9 ½ Weeks," and "Basic Instinct."
"Fifty Shades of Grey" is poised to surpass all of them.
"Certainly the fan base came out, but to reach these numbers, you have to go broader than the built-in audience," added Gitesh Pandya, editor of BoxOfficeGuru.com.
The somewhat random fact that Valentine's Day fell on a Saturday in 2015 was key: It ensured that interest would stay high for at least the first two days of theatrical release.
Day one would be for the die-hard fans. Day two would be for the couples.
Whereas most films with ardent fan bases drop off dramatically on day two, "Fifty Shades of Grey" grew. The first "Twilight" film fell 40.8 percent on its second day. "Fifty Shades" spiked 21 percent.
An estimated 68 percent of opening weekend audiences was female.