Analysts grossly underestimated the allure of 'Fifty Shades of Grey' at the box office
The adaptation of the best-selling erotica fan-fiction series by E.L. James brought in an adjusted $85 million over the three-day weekend (originally that number was $81.7 million). In four days, the $40 million Universal Pictures and Focus Features' film made $94.4 million.
Analysts thought it would make just over $60 million.
That was probably due in part to comparisons with "Twilight." "Fifty Shades" started out as fan-fiction of the popular teen novels. The first "Twilight" movie debuted to $69 million in 2008, so an opening around $60 million would have made sense for the first installment of "Fifty Shades."
Instead, the film became the best-opening weekend in February ever at the box office, knocking 2004's "Passion of the Christ" from the top spot.
Here are a few other records it now holds:
- Largest opening weekend for a romantic movie (beating out 2001's "Pearl Harbor," $59 million)
- Largest opening weekend for an erotic thriller (topping 2009's "Obsessed," $28.6 million)
- The biggest R-rated ticket-seller on Fandango
The film also has the fourth-largest opening weekend for an R-rated movie.
Since its release, the movie has made over $266 million worldwide. In the UK and Ireland, the film made $21.5 million.
Why didn't analysts think "Fifty Shades" would make more?
For one thing, history precedes it.
Typically, February isn't a month where we see a lot of break-out box-office hits.
"The LEGO Movie" started to change that thought process last year when it surprised everyone with a $69 million opening weekend, and a second weekend where it nearly performed just as well.
The biggest thing "Fifty Shades" had going against it was how previous R-rated films and films in the erotica genre have performed at the box office opening weekend.
Take a look at the biggest opening weekends for R-rated movies. "Fifty Shades" is the only film of its kind to crack the top five.
| Movie | Opening Weekend | Worldwide Gross | Estimated Budget |
| The Matrix Reloaded | $91.8 million | $742 million | $150 million |
| American Sniper | $89.2 million | $392.9 million | $58.8 million |
| The Hangover Part II | $85.9 million | $586.8 million | $80 million |
| Fifty Shades of Grey | $85 million | $266.4 million to date | $40 million |
| The Passion of the Christ | $83.8 million | $611.9 million | $30 million |
Instead, here's how the top erotic thriller films have performed opening weekend at theaters:
| Movie | Opening Weekend | Worldwide Gross | Estimated Budget |
| Obsessed | $28.6 million | $73.8 million | $20 million |
| Eyes Wide Shut | $21.7 million | $162.1 million | $65 million |
| Basic Instinct | $15.1 million | $352.9 million | $49 million |
| The Boy Next Door | $14.9 million | $36.3 million | $4 million |
"Fifty Shades" had the advantage of not only being an R-rated erotica film, but unlike the other films listed above, it had a huge "Twilight"-sized fan following. Over 100 million copies of "Fifty Shades of Grey" have been sold.
The combination of both helped it break any box-office expectations.