“Fifty Shades of Grey” now holds the record for biggest President’s Day debut. And apparently movie-goers weren’t willing to take any chances that they might miss out on a ticket — either that or they were embarrassed to face box office cashiers.
According to Fandango, 29 percent of the domestic tickets sold were purchased through the company, and that’s the biggest percentage for any movie in the company’s 15 years in business. It turns out whips and “play rooms” are better marketing than paper bag puppets.
In terms of February openings, the movie trailed only one other movie, a slightly different drama: “The Passion of the Christ.”
The “Fifty Shades” box office numbers are more in line with summer superhero-themed action movies than an R-rated romance. (“Guardians of the Galaxy” brought in $94.3 domestically during its opening weekend and “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” brought in $95 million.) And while the attendance will almost certainly drop off after the first weekend, “Fifty Shades” has one asset those blockbusters don’t. Given that it isn’t a superhero flick, which would entail loads of expensive special effects, the movie directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson, cost just $40 million to make. “Guardians” cost $170 million.
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