Fifty Shades of Grey is this close to finally rolling into theaters just in time for Valentine's Day, and early indications are that it is going to have a pretty good opening weekend. As of right now, the film based on the hugely popular book series by E.L. James is on track to open at about $60 million. According to a report by Variety, if it does that over four days, then the film will already be considered a profitable success.
The R-rated Fifty Shades, which opens Feb. 13, appears to be heading toward significant profitability, given the $40 million pricetag for the adaptation of E.L. James's sex-saturated bestseller.
But there is more uncertainty attached to forecasting Fifty Shades than with other titles due to the difficulty of predicting how comfortable moviegoers will be about going to an erotic romance at multiplexes -- despite the fact that the graphic scenes in the book have been considerably toned down.
"Clearly, the book has a lot going for it, but it's uncertain how much of that fervor will translate," said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Rentrak. "It probably has to be toned down enough from the book to do well among general audiences," explained the report.
There is also some debate on who you actually take to see this film. Valentine's Day is typically for couples, but will many women be dragging their men in to see how well Jamie Dornan -- playing Christian Grey -- takes control in that infamous red room? This might be more the kind of flick you see on a girl's night and, if that is the case, Fifty Shades of Grey might continue to have a strong showing for a while.
Readers: Are you going to be checking out the film during its opening weekend or are you waiting for those reviews to start popping up before you invest time and money in the fantasy? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below.
