At some point, about a week ago, I knew Fifty Shades of Grey was going to make tons of money on its opening weekend. The studio believed it, all of the box office prognosticators believed it and you could feel a different vibe coming off of the publicity tour too. All of a sudden, Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan seemed friendlier, looser, happier. Even though Fifty Shades might not be either actor’s best work, at least they didn’t have a massive bomb on their hands.
So, how much money did Fifty Shades make? Something like $81.7 million. Which is less than the $90 million “outside figure” that the studio was hoping for, but way beyond the paltry $50-60 million most people thought would be a “win” a few weeks ago. Fifty Shades’ production cost $40 million, although I’m guessing the studio spent (easily) $20 million promoting the film. According to Yahoo, the film did well in all markets, not just those city-dwelling harlots who wanted to see a sexy movie – like, the movie did well in small town and smaller venues too. And yes, the audience was 68% female. I feel sorry for the 32% dudes who got dragged to the film with their wives and girlfriends.
So, what does this mean? We know from conversations on the promotional tour that Dakota and Jamie had to sign contracts for three films in total. With this kind of box office, I’m sure the studio will greenlight one sequel, if not two. Sam Taylor Johnson has basically said that she would be up for directing the sequels, but after fighting with E.L. James for all those months, I’m kind of hoping Sam just cuts her losses and runs. She’s now a commercially successful director and I’m guessing Universal (and other studios) will be happy to offer her directing projects with moderate-sized budgets from here on out.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
What does it mean?
That there are a lot of silly women.
What does it mean?
That the apocalypse is nigh.
What does it mean?
That there are a lot of silly women.
Thus, the apocalypse is nigh 😉
You took the words right out of my mouth.
Yup…this is exactly what I think. Time to prepare your bunkers!
Seriously, if imdb.com ratings and Rotten Tomatoes are anything to go by, expect a huge drop off next week. No matter though, the sequels are happening.
One of my girlfriends recently became single so we made a day out of it… Brunch, sneak wine into the theater to hate watch and lol at the “serious” parts, then went out after. Based on the laughter in the theater at Ana being flogged, we weren’t alone. It wasn’t the worst but it was NOT GOOD. Didn’t expect it to be but was at least pleasantly rewarded with dornan looking hot as long as he was silently brooding and not delivering lines
It means that there are a lot of sexually repressed females in Middle America…especially in the bible belt! LOL
God, the Middle America comments get to me. They’re always so smug and condescending about the frowsy, small-minded, small-town soccer moms. Just ugh. And as someone who has lived in NYC, London, Dublin, San Fran, Philadelphia, and Chicago, I can tell you that it’s a crap generalization. Go check out suburbs and small towns an hour or two from any of those cities, and you’ll find the same kinds of people.
Thank you!!!
@CAT yes, thank you. So annoying. Why people assume that the entire swath of the country, even rural people, don’t have access to the same university educations, books, websites, and television as the coasts is so annoying. Or any other stereotype about us. People are people, there are intelligent, informed ones and ignorant (willfully or otherwise) everywhere. And I’ve also visited and sometimes lived in several continents, countries, and US states.
This Bible Belt girl didn’t read the books or watch the movie. So suck it!
And a few violent women apparently in this case…”post-50 shades of grey trauma”
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-31487066
It means it’s going to sink biiiig time this week and make nothing next weekend,but it doesn’t matter because it made all the money this week which is what they wanted. So now we get saddled with this crap for at least 4 more years. I really hope the next movie bombs so badly they don’t even bother.
The marketing hype worked and popularity of book BUT all I hear on trains etc “so disappointing” – but money already spent at box office. I believe sequel will bomb.
Amen.
I wouldn’t feel sorry for the men being dragged along to see it – I’m sure they were ahem rewarded when they got home…
I’ll admit it. I dragged my husband to 50 Shades on Valentine’s Day. But no need to feel sorry for him. I have been drug to every single Marvel movie-even Thor 2. I’ve seen Star Wars Episode I in the theatre. I went to a midnight IMAX showing of Episode II. The shaky camera action in Bourne 2 (or 3?) made me so sick I spent half the screening in the lobby. He owed me.
Let’s not act like men don’t have bad taste in movies too.
I’m sorry you had to actually go and pay for Star Wars ep.I. still makes me cringe.
Good point. Men DO like a lot of sh1tty movies.
Am I the only one that thinks Thor 2 is sexier than FSOG? 😉 (come one, you got a glimpse of Thor’s abs and Loki in chains. Yum.)
Isadora–ahem. No, you are not. Loki in chains is all the bondage I will ever need (okay, Thor manhandling Loki was also enjoyable even as I was creeping myself out, not being a big fan of Thorki.)
Bit what does FSoG making 81.7 At the box office mean? That it made 5 mil LESS than Thor:TDW’s opening weekend 😉
The men got to view a naked Dakota for much of the movie, yes? That could have been the reward as well.
I wouldn’t take my boyfriend to go see it because it’s an awful movie based on a series of books which glorify abuse as “a love story.” If it were actually a BDSM love story, I’d absolutely watch it.
This movie was far from erotic. It was hilariously awful. I cringed, I laughed, I was ashamed for Dakota and Jamie. But I was happy to be outside of my house between being snowed in and home renovations that seem to never end.
The theatre audiance literally laughed together and cringed together. I hadn’t been in a theatre that was filled with people all too aware they were watching a terribly bad film since snakes on a plane
Jag
Right. Coming from the book this story was about a childish man who manipulates a weak and meek ana into thinking shes enjoying the abuse because if she doesn’t she’s alone. Also, sick mental and emotional abuse.
I dunno, I think the real story will be how well the sequel does (cause we all know there will be a sequel). It was a given everyone would show up to see Fifty Shades. But according to the reviews it was not that great, so it will be interesting to see if they keep the strong box office for the next one.
I heard that without Ana’s inner dialogue, which was a bore in the book, the movie lacks the emotional struggle of Ana and thus makes it seem like an even more unbalanced relationship.
However on a high note, I keep reading Dakota was the star of the movie and her acting was surprisingly superb!
Dakota was really good. She elevated the material.
I heard that too and was surprised. I mean I guess I can’t be too snarky, I’ll end up seeing it eventually……
Dakota had her character rewritten several times and had the most reshoots that ended up delayng a lot of stuff. Jamie wasn’t given the same courtesy. Though i’m thinking Grey is so 1 dimensional Sam and EL were pleased with his acting and wanted it that way. Otherwise we would have had same treatment. Thing is we know Jamie can act.
Honestly I was too aware i’m watching Dakota trying to be Ana. Her acting was ok. Nothing good by any stretch, but in a terrible movie she shined like the ok looking girl next to her DUFF.
@FLORC: Actually I think EL James was more adamant that Grey stays exactly the way she wants him (which is as one dimensional as in the books) because he is the main point of the film. The screenwriter and Sam had probably more freedom to re-write Ana’s character because James wasn’t such a hindrance with her.
It’s just not that the reviews were bad, I never really expected them to be that good, even though most critics didn’t have high expectations to begin with. But the audience rating is at 50% at Rotten Tomatoes, with over 44 thousand votes. And I’m presuming that not all those who didn’t like it were people who went to hate watch it or were dragged there by friends.
It’ll be interesting to see what happens box office-wise next week.
Yes, the audiences didn’t like it either. Twilight fans LOVED the first Twilight movie. It was a sensation, just like the book. This is different. No one is going gaga over the movie like with Twilight. A sequel is risky at this point.
OriginalTessa
The original director of Twilight did a great job. It was in her contract she had the option to walk away from the other films. After she read the books and script versions she did just that. Citing the story was terrible and unbelievable that Bella just falls in love with the closest guy.
That’s in part why the other movies sucked after the 1st.
And with 50 shades it’s the same. The books get worse and the story gets worse. Also, with stories of how Sam and EL have been fighting over the film during the filming 1 might have to take a step back.
I don’t think we can compare the Twilight success to FSOG as the time frame is very different. If I remember correctly the FSOG came out in a very short time frame between end of 2011 and spring 2012. So the film now is in cinemas almost 3 years after people read the last book of the trilogy. With Twilight it was different – the film was in cinemas in the same year when the last book was released. So the big final storyline and happy end was still quite fresh for the fans when they saw Bella and Edward for the first time on screen.
I think it makes a difference because I have a feeling that a lot of people are already a bit (or very much) over FSOG. A lot probably went to see it out of curiosity or just for fun, but I think – from a film industry point of view – it would have been better to have that film out in early 2013 and this year the last installment of the trilogy. Although I guess there were delays from what was originally planned because (unsurprisingly) they couldn’t find a director, a screenwriter and leads.
Because (and I can’t believe I’m saying that) even Twilight was a better love story. *lol* Or a better story, period. It was silly and dumb, but at least there were vampires and werewolves and teenage angst. There was (kind of) a background story of a divorced family on Bella’s side and a (kind of) patchwork family on Edward’s side and you know.. all the things why vampires are so fancy since the 19th century (thoughts about eternity, what makes humans human, is being a human better than eternal life, elements of seduction and danger and all that). There was a bit of “history” (Civil War, Carlisle’s story…) and myth (the story of the Quileute tribe) and there were the Volturi and all the other vampire covens around the world. It was all badly executed and badly written, but at least someone had a bit of imagination going on.
In FSOG James just took some elements from Twilight (rich guy, seduction with an element of danger, happy end) but her characters are even worse than the Twilight ones, Grey’s backstory is awful, the whole Mrs. Robinson storyline is cringeworthy and so on. In the end she fills all the gaps in her story and her incompetence to create a universe of its own with redundant and repetitive sex scenes. Ugh… much harder to keep an audience interested in this even though a lot might have been titillated by the thought of racy sex scenes embedded in some kind of Cinderella story.
(Did I just write nearly an essay on that drivel?… Oh the shame… Btw I’m probably VERY alone in my opinion but the first Twilight movie with it’s very blueish tint drives me nuts. And the dialogue… what was it? Hang on, spidermonkey??? No. Just no. The story might detoriate further during the books, but I think the cinematography of the second one, which is what I paid attention to, was much better. And yes, I know that everybody hated the second one. *lol*)
That there are a lot of stupid people out there?
Exactly.
Nothing more, nothing less.
EXACTLY – they played right into the hands of the studios.. they KNEW it was going to be awful and they got their money’s worth.
I saw the movie mostly because a girlfriend of mine wanted to see it. I figured what the heck, it can’t be worse than the books, right? It actually wasn’t awful. Dakota did a nice job as Ana.
Ya, I haven’t seen the movie yet but I keep hearing that Dakota did a great job.
Same here, I saw it with a couple of gal pals after drinks (that might be the key here) – surprisingly, it’s not shockingly awful. Considerably more toned down.
If you go in expecting the quality of seething like TToE, then yes, you’re going to be sorely disappointed. But I wouldn’t say its worse than a Nicholas Sparks adaptation.
Infinitely better than the book, which I threw against the wall several times when I tried to read it.
Very pleased for Sam Taylor-Wood that she managed to make a sow’s ear vaguely resemble a purse of some kind.
I heard a review of it on NPR, and he said that the book was total trash, but the movie, though not a great movie, was a lot better than the book, and he praised Dakota very highly. I’m not going to see it, but I’m glad to hear it was better than the first forty pages of the book, which was as far as I got before I realized my brain was vomiting.
ETA I also oppose the book on principle and think it glorifies abuse.
+1 GNAT. Why anyone would want to see pain inflicted is beyond me. It hurts me to see a bug die. Not my thing.
I haven’t read the book or seen the movie, but I’ve read plenty of reviews and it bugs me to have BDSM conflated with controlling abusive relationships. It’s not a good message for young women. It’s perfectly normal to have kinky fantasies without actually wanting to date a domineering man. Two equal partners can have plenty of fun in the bedroom.
Plus the best part of $160m overseas already – 65% foreign share of box office. Compare to, say, American Sniper with a 22% foreign share of box office. It’s already doubled American Sniper’s overseas take.
What does it mean? People are tasteless gits and should drink more Comet Sophies?!
Comet Sophie just flew on a chopper out of Valentine Island.
Probably headed to LA on a private plane.
-courtesy of Uncle Harvey of course. 🙂
I cannot believe that so many people wanted to see this… But then I could not believe so many wanted to read the dross it is based on. There is good erotica out there, just as there is good fiction, and good fan fiction. By all accounts this is neither. I never even attempted this book, it did not seem like anything I would enjoy, both because it was poorly written and because of the subject matter. BDSM is not my cup of tea or mimosa, but according to the criticism from the legit community, this was a terrible representation of BDSM and as a “romance” it was even worse. Oh well… A fool and their money…
All these years later, I am still stuck on the idea of fan fiction as a genuine literary genre. Go figure.
I’ve tried to read the first book. Online and with lots of fast forward and found it acceptable only as a direct parody of Twilight because of the sex. I was in a charitable mood and thought the bad writing was made so to match the Twilight books.
The message of the book was so wrong for me I couldn’t be bothered with the rest.
However after the Twilight madness I thought it’s very probable that with a proper direction and PR the film will make money.
@LAK
Lol. I’m young. Fanfiction is a legit thing to me–it’s 50% of what I read now. And there are SO many great writers. One of my fave stories is a Harry Potter mashup of three generations of Hogwarts (Voldemort’s generation; James Potter’s generation; Harry’s generation)….without giving away the whole thing it is AMAZING….
@virgilia,
What’s the story called? I love well written hp fanfic!
It broke records here in Sweden. 150 000 tickets sold before the premiere on the 12th. Insane. My local theater even threw in day time and midnight screenings during the weekend. Never happened before.
It means that this civilization is doomed. We’ve suspected as much for a long time now, but this is conclusive proof.
I would agree.
Transformers made like a billion dollars and the world is still turning. I don’t know why women liking a stupid movie has to mean more than when men like a stupid movie.
Great point!
yep, that´s it.
seriously. that is a groundbreaking point. there are pointless, ridiculous action movies that glamorize violence and weapons coming out every two weeks. its irritating how women who want to see this movie are being generalized as small-minded. I saw it, it was damned decent…I feel like so many just want to hate it.
Eurgh.
I don’t get all the hate for this movie. You either want to see it or not. You either like the books or not. I liked the books and plan to see it next week, doesn’t make me a terrible person! And why is society doomed? I.wouldn’t date Grey because he is controlling but I wouldn’t mind a red room!
Shhh, not allowed to say that!
ITAWY..
I don’t plan on seeing the film; didn’t read the books, just not the kind of film I need to see in a theater.
But people never get this up in arms with other movies that make loads of money and are quite dumb. Silly Romcoms, slasher films. Superhero films fall in that category for me. I don’t get them; but people flock to see them over and over again. To each his own.
I also liked the books. Sometimes books are a lot better than the movies. The movie actors end up nothing like I had pictured them in my mind. My friends and I (who also liked the books), might see it soon. I also wouldn’t date Grey. I couldn’t believe all the rules
Well said… people like to trash mouth too much… O like the books. .. I watched the movie, it was fine. Entertaining. Did his job. Dakota was really a nice surprise but Jamie did a good job either.
You and me both. And I really find it disheartening that for all the posters for all the topics that say “yay, GURL power”- here you have a female director who has broken records on really her second film- and it’s just non- stop “the world is ending”. If the world can survive Transformers forever, comic book character movies ad nauseum, it’ll survive this. I get folks hating( that’s an understatement) the books, movie(s)- but, to me, STJ deserves a world of credit. If she does return for the sequel, I hope E James isn’t quite so combative with her. And I hope STJ gets treated better than Catherine Hardwicke!!
Sam should be commended. If she had more control, it could’ve been a pretty decent movie. The set design, make-up, costuming, music, general look of the film, and Dakota’s performance were all good.
The author’s dialogue was laughably funny in places.
I was going to write a bloody big treatise on why these movies are bad. But since I am the laziest person in the world, I am just gonna leave this link. http://jennytrout.com/?p=8703
People read it if you can spare the time. That might give you some idea why a lot of people have a problem with these books.
I agree with you. This movie sends a bad message about abuse and “why I stayed” without the “why I left.”
And, I try not to ever intentionally say mean things, but if you liked these books, from a literary point of view, you need to read more. The writing was the worst I have ever read. Absolute dreck. I’m ashamed of the publisher that allowed this horror to be published. If it hadn’t contained sex, it NEVER would have been.
I adore Jenny! She’s how I was able to “read” this dribble. I’m honestly embarrassed to be a woman with the success of this book(a)/movie.
Jenny Trout also writes much better D/S erotic romance novels under her pseud Abigail Barnette. There are literally hundreds of better written, more imaginative dark erotic romances of every conceivable variety– billionaires, criminals, stepbrothers, tattooed motorcycle hot guys, pirates, drug lords, mafia, gypsies, paranormal. All share the common thread of the dominant alpha male bad boy hot guy who is redeemed by falling for his would be or actual victim. Often he is a horrible man you hate in book one but you are mad about in book two. I attribute this to some hard wired impulses deep in the brain that no longer have place in modern society. It is similar to the impulses that cause some people to enjoy scary theme park rides and grisly horror flicks.
Jenny totally saved me the vomiting hassle of reading those awful books. I could laugh and then rage. That saga is such a piece of crap and people defending it make me stabby.
Love Jenny Trout! Her whole blog is great, but the recaps of FSoG are amazing. I would laugh so hard that it hurt sometimes, but she also gets serious and articulately explains why the book is so problematic.
I wish it had bombed just so we could stop hearing about it! Hopefully all the attention will die down for the sequels.
This so much. I’m so sick of hearing about it and seeing Dornan’s face everywhere.
The end is nigh?
Great minds think alike, Kiddo. I responded to the first comment with just this assertion.
Yep.
The end is nighTIES OFF?
This. Seems two themes never die dehumanizing people of color aka killing savages and subjugating women. Puts asses in seats.
Also, Hollywood dishes out crap, CRAP, and people lap it up.
Dakota seemed the most relieved since she was getting all the praise.
I dont know why, but Jamie really bugs me. He gives off this vibe that he is better than that, but if i remember correctly he was the one heavily pursuing the role and couldn’t sleep when waited for the phone call. You might say he is embarrassed to be in it, but he should not taken the job on if he is not willing to shill for it 100%! I did not seen the movie but critics say that he is very wooden, delivering his lines in monotone etc… On the contrary Dakota shines and is 100% believable Anna.
Yeah he totally seems to have an ” I’m better than this” vibe, and he probably is, but he made the decision to do this crap, so he should just own it.
Jamie saw FSOG as a way to leapfrog over the years of paying dues and become an instant star. I think he really, really, really wants to be thought of in the same class as his buddy Eddie Redmayne but Redmayne did the requisite training and taking crappy jobs to get to this level. JD has the name recognition all right but not the critical praise. I wonder how he feels knowing that that DJ is presenting at the Oscars. You can bet if his reviews had been good they would be presenting together and it wouldn’t surprise me if they drop him for the sequels.
I haven’t seen and will not but must agree he comes off as ashamed and a bit smug. After all he auditioned for the role. I have to admit I expected more from him. Saw him on Graham Norton around the time all the rumours were swirling about the lack chemistry and reshoots with Dakota, and fond him personable and funny. I really wanted him to win. Then he pissed me off taking digs at his role on The Fall. A role that supports the bit of acting he seems capable of doing. Perhaps this a good lesson for him. Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.
Anyway if Kristen Stewart’s bland acting is tolerated so will his and Dakotas. Fans like consistency.
He has weird, dead eyes. Like a shark.
I thought I was the only person who thinks this! I’ve been saying his has “dead shark eyes” since the first trailer. Reminds me of the shark model in Jaws.
I’m not really sure what his strategy is. I mean, if you are a nobody and “forced” to take a shitty role in the hope of having a big break-through, then you try to make the dumb character you play shine like a Shakespearean hero, give it the performance of your life and shill like crazy afterwards. It doesn’t matter if you actually like the character, this is the film industry. This is a century where John Cusack shills for on Emmerich movie (and manages to do it gracefully). That way you pay respect to the people who employed you, the people who pay money to see you (even if you don’t think they deserve much respect) and you show the big players in the film industry that you are a company man, so they are willing to give you your next role.
It means we’ve learned nothing from Twilight….
this
I saw something on Buzzfeed that said if Christian Grey was a woman this film would be a horror movie. LMAO!!!!
I didn’t make it a third of the way through the book but I went to see the movie with a girlfriend, who also hadn’t read it. I suspect the director elevated the source material but we’re going to read the book. Cause the movie isn’t bad. Dakota Johnson was surprisingly good. And the sex scenes were tastefully sexy. I read a comment somewhere that if this had been in French and subtitled the critics would have been falling all over themselves praising it. I agree.
I work in a library, and last year when 50SOG fever was at it’s highest, there was huge demand on the first book. At one point there was a three month waiting list for it. But there was very little interest in the two sequels. It’s possible that people couldn’t wait for them to become available and bought them for themselves, but I think the majority of people read the first one out of curiosity because of the hype and realised for themselves how bad the books really are and didn’t want to read the remaining two. I expect that it will be the same for the movies; people have gone along to see this one because of the huge hype but that numbers will fall off for the second and third.
From reading the reviews of the film, it looks like any praise it’s gotten has been directed at Sam Taylor-Johnson and at the changes made from the source material. For me, that’s the best outcome; like you said she’s not a commercially successful director and hopefully she’ll be offered better projects. I’m all for having more female directors. E.L. James must be sick of the way Taylor-Johnson is getting all the praise and her own work and contribution is ridiculed. (Though she’s probably too busy laughing all the way to the bank to listen to it.)
The FSOG hype was biggest last year? Wow.. I read the first two books (couldn’t stomach the third) in 2011, so I assumed the hype in the US was back then. *shrug* In my country there was of course a delay because of translation, marketing etc.
But yes, I’m glad Sam Taylor-Johnson gets some praise, she seems like a decent filmmaker. And honestly, I would take all the FSOG ridicule in this world if I’d had EL James bank account. *g*
It means women have the same right to like crap as fanboys. Transformers made a billion dollars worldwide and it was horrid. Equal opportunity abounds!
Yes! Thank you!
Good call!
+1
Yes, women can be as stupid as men, but is it something to be proud of?
Do we have to be proud of guilty pleasures?
I agree that women are allowed to like crap, just like men. But the problem to me is that 50 SOG is so damn stupid and has no credibility whatsoever. It is supposed to be sexy, but the sex is extremely unsexy and weird. I would have loved it if a woman had written a horny book, self-published it after being rejected and then sold a million copies if it was a believable, sexy horny book that made me get off. I don´t request pretentious, poetry sex but “inner goddess”, “my Christian lollipop” and “down there” just doesn´t do it for me. If you write a book about sex you should at least be able to call a spade a spade and not use weird terms that sounds like something from My Little Pony. I wonder if Diego the Latin male friend is portrayed in the movie, going “Dios bio” all the time like in the book? Because Latin!
LOL yeah, personally I agree with you! But I guess a lot of people DID get off to all the inner goddess talk and Christian’s lollipop or EL James wouldn’t be rich as f*** right now. That’s economic democracy.
Transformers is stupid yes, but does it promote abuse and stalking as romance? And have an audience flame people who call it out on that fact?
I have no dog in this hunt. Didn’t read the books, have no intention of seeing the films. But people have to educate themselves and others to this type of danger. Movies have been promoting everything from murder, abuse, rape and other horrid things for years. I have a real problem when murder and torture is seen as good or not harmful, but no one seems to take serious issue with those types of films. They sometimes nominate them for Oscars. I choose not to support those films. BUT, I will not say to others that they cannot make them or see them.
Women and men have to educate their daughters and sons and themselves about what is right and wrong. Movies cannot take the place of individual responsibility to society and others or be blamed for its ills. And if any adult sees these films and takes them seriously, then they have real problems which the film did not create.
Crappy movies, crappy music, crappy art will continue to be made and seen. Ugly topics such as these books will continue to be written and filmed. I had never even heard of the books until a story was on the news and they had been out for years. I just can’t work up the absolute indignation over this one. It is just not worth the effort.
PS. Do I wish this film had not been made and is now a success….absolutely. But there is no accounting for taste.
@jen2 “Women and men have to educate their daughters and sons and themselves about what is right and wrong. Movies cannot take the place of individual responsibility to society and others or be blamed for its ills. And if any adult sees these films and takes them seriously, then they have real problems which the film did not create”.
+ 1,000 to all this 🙂
How about we treat women like grown ups and let them make up them their own minds?
@jen2: I think the books are crap but I wholeheartedly agree with you!! (And wrote something similar somewhere on this site.)
I saw the movie and it was okay. Some really stupid parts and some funny and good spots, not really as hot and sexy as I thought it would be. Honestly, it is better than the book though. I love that people think it is either the hottest thing ever or the worst movie ever made, because it is just not what I saw. Yes you can watch it and follow the story, the acting by Dakota and Jamie is pretty good and certainly not cringe worthy, but overall a mediocre movie. There just isn’t a lot of depth, which I guess I shouldn’t have expected, but I am impressed that they were able to make a movie out of a book with a lot of inner monologue seem not bad. The sequels will make money too, and it will continue to do well. I just hope as I thought both Dakota and Jamie acted fairly well in the movie that it helps not hurts their careers, as it seems they have some real talent and I would like to see them in parts with a bit more depth.
I haven’t seen it but plan to once the crowds die down, I hate packed theaters, but I do wish people relax and take this movie for what it is, a fantasy. Women wanna see it to escape their reality for a few hours, just like any other time they see a movie, there’s nothing wrong with that. I personally would like to see it because I think it’s going to be “showgirls” type of cheesy, but I don’t think it’s right call other women silly or stupid for something they enjoy, especially when it comes to their sexuality. Anne Rice posted a fantastic comment on her Facebook page about this and how we shouldn’t tell women what to like or not like, it’s worth a read, exactly how I feel!
http://www.examiner.com/article/anne-rice-thanks-e-l-james-and-fifty-shades-of-grey
Thank you Zandy! 🙂
It glorifies abuse. It tells women that they can “fix” abusive men if they just stay and love them enough. I don’t know – I wouldn’t want my nieces reading that as sexy.
This^^^
Women have enough $#*¦ to deal with anti feminism and/or lack of understanding of what it is then mix in this crap. Yes I know those books saved a publishing house and jobs but they are tripe.
I don’t see how it glorifies abuse. Abusers don’t give their victims safe-words that immediately stop any and all activity. The main characters are both consenting adults who practice safe sex. It’s Pretty Woman with handcuffs. I don’t see what all the fuss is about.
@Courtney ~ Do a search for a list of 50 Abusive Moments in 50 Shades of Grey. The author only gets through the first book and a half before the list is completed, so she could’ve done another 50 as well. It might answer your question about how it glorifies abuse.
The sex wasn’t what was abusive.
It’s the fact that he uses sex as he does because he has such huge intimacy issues, and all he is capable of is this type of sex. Until Ana comes along and “fixes” him and shows him what love is.
It’s a false message, all the way around.
just one example, really.
Spoiler alert the first book and especially the movie doesn’t do that. I liked the way they left this movie and not the book. Dakota was definitely controlling the ending not him and not trying to fix him.
The Fast and the Furious movies glorify reckless driving and endangering yourself and others on the road. Saw movies are a celebration of the most disturbing and graphic violence. The Hangover movies encourage binge drinking and doing extremely dangerous stuff you can’t remember the next day. The Devil Wears Prada says that when you are a successful woman, your husband(s) or boyfriend will leave you and you can only be a nice girl when you quit your demanding job. Pretty Woman says that you will find true love when you are a prostitute and service a rich older man. Sliver says that you can have hot sex with a voyeuristic creep even after you find out he is one, but you are still not sure if he is a murderer too. Doesn’t really matter because he says he loves you and looks like Billy Baldwin. Speaking of.. Gossip Girl glorifies the crazy lifestyle of super rich and entitled teenagers and makes it look like a minor thing if there is a whole lot of betrayal, sleeping with your best friend’s spouse, destroying someone’s career etc. going on, plus all the dirty laundry gets published anonymously, which is kinda cool. Yeah..
Media competence is the key. Young (and old) people must learn to differentiate between fiction and reality. A story can have questionable morals or wrong messages and still be enjoyable. Personally I didn’t get enjoyment out of FSOG but I guess there were a few morally shady stories that I had fun reading or watching. Doesn’t mean I want them to become real life.
Totally agree with your comments regarding all the insults directed at folks who either went to see it and maybe even liked the movie!! Seriously, for all the ” stop (blank) shaming” talk that goes on here, why is this acceptable? The only thing missing is the “you must be fat/plain/love cats” triumverate that was directed at women who enjoyed the Twilight movies. Meanwhile, that testament to quality franchise movie making- Fast and Furious- drops episode 7 soon. And the world will survive that too.
Amen to this!
Crappy movies can still make a killing at the BO.
The movie was a typical rom – com for me. I never read the books, so I saw it with an open mind. Christian Grey reminded me of a young Thomas Crown and I would date him, because I’d be the one in control. But seriously, it is not the horrible movie that critics are making it out to be. I laughed, I gasped, I cried. That’s good enough for me.
Dakota was fantastic. Jamie was fantastic and he nailed it as Christian Grey! Those people calling him wooden have never obviously dated a Real life Mr. Grey! And Jamie looked like sex on legs! Yum!
For some reason, Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman kept popping into my mind as I watched this!
probably because Patrick and Christian have a lot in common.
What does it mean?
There is big money in porn. Even though this movie is very tame, that’s why people went–for the scandalousness of watching porn in public.
It was okay movie regarding the original work. Sam Taylor-Johnson really did bring the life into it. I’m only gonna see the sequels if Taylor-Johnson’s directing it.
It means there is no hope for humanity anymore.
No but seriously, if this doesn’t fall down the box-office in week 2, it just means a lot of sequels. God why…
Have a good cup of coffee/tea- promise world will look better after😀!
All kidding aside- what are the odds they’ll recast Jamie? Bef the movie opened, I seriously thought Dakota would be out!! The reason I say this- it’ll be at least 3-6 months bef they can start filming-assuming a script is being worked on as we speak. While I am glad Dakota is getting praise, she is also not the youngest looking 25 yr old. I just wonder if Jamie will be deemed to look too “old” for future sequels.
I was watching Nightline this past Friday and they had a segment on the movie. I was quite surprised to learn that Mississippi had 4 times the number of advance tickets sold compared to other states. In fact a number of southern states were on the list. I was not expecting that because I thought they were too conservative to enjoy the subject matter.
In my experience, that’s where the hypocrites come out. Various states in the U.S. have laws making certain sex acts between consenting adults illegal, and there was a ban on purchasing vibrators in Texas at one point – but the consumption of pr0n and sex shops is quite voracious. I live in North Carolina, so am speaking from the people that I’ve known. My own family is incredibly repressed in my opinion, but thankfully, I found my own outlet in writing erotic stories and meeting people on the internet who enjoy them. lol
OR MAYBE there are all kinds of people all over the country. Just because the state leans conservative doesn’t mean everyone is.
It’s pretty simple actually. History has proven time and time again that prohibition of anything increases the perceived value of the prohibited item.
I’d be interested in next weeks numbers as a true barometer… The reviews have been so mixed, I’m undecided on whether to see it. I’m actually only interested in Sam TJ’s direction (as a frustrated filmmaker myself) and the fact Dakota is supposed to be a revelation.
Doubt it could teach me anything I don’t know – my name is no joke :)!
I am with you there, sister! Can’t teach me a thing.
You would probably find the “scandalous” parts laughable. She isn’t that into D/s at first and tries to change him. He is exclusively into D/s at first and tries to change her. The End.
It means:
– people like films meant for adults
-people like films about sex
-people like films that don’t remind them what a loser they are on such an awful/overly hyped holiday such as Valentine’s Day.
But also, as others have said, that people like trashy things.
Lesson: Ladies, if you have to put it in writing that your partner will not defecate on you… RUN AWAY
Talking about what each person does/does not like before having sex isn’t a bad thing.
Talking and signing a contract are completely separate things. Especially when there’s a lot of times it’s obvious she’s not into it, so he plies her with wine to try to get her to do what he wants.
@Seapharris7
It’s not as if it’s a legally binding contract.
I don’t see how any of her decisions were based on how much alcohol she imbibed. The one time she actually was drunk nothing sexual happened.
The movie is not good, the books/fanfic are laughably bad, but BDSM-lite is not abuse.
@ Courtney
His crazy controlling stalking antics are what lead me to say its abuse. If he was an ugly truck driver I highly doubt any ladies would be appreciating any of his antics. Not to mention the writing & dialogue is horrendous.
they will make sequels and the actors will have little paying contracts for sequels already in place.
i dont think it means much. it was going to be a huge BO success. the subject matter is perfect for promotion everywhere. media for old people will scandalize the sex, feminists and BDSM talk about the abuse etc its all free promo and 50 Shades has been everywhere.
so it does not come down to the director or Jamie and Dakota actually being good and pulling people. sure they will get some offers because it didnt fail but the success is down to 50 Shades and not anyone involved.
What does it mean?
It means E.L. whatsherface will be shopping for a 24kt gold & python/diamond studded ball gag, & a brand new, super beefed-up dominant…tossing that ol’ vinyl & stainless piece of junk.
Maybe this project should be renamed Fifty Shades of Green.
that there’s a ginormous market for erotic films, even dumb ones.
+1
I’m going to applaud that a female driven movie directed by a woman, with the actress’ work being praised, and marketed to a female audience is doing well. Yay!
Ditto. Sam did well. I hope she gets more opportunities once her commitment to 50 Shades is over.
yes i´m really happy for Sam. She must be the most successful female director ever… it´s sad that it is because of 50shades, but still. Hopefully she gets better films in future
Really? Seriously, I’m not challenging your opinion, but do you think she’s now grossed more than someone like Jodie Foster?
I don’t know how much FSOG will gross globally in the end, but there is Catherine Hardwicke who did the first Twilight movie which grossed nearly 400 million $, there’s Mimi Leder’s Deep Impact which made 350 million $ (even back in the 90s) and a few more (especially for animation films like Kung Fu Panda or Shrek).
And if you speak about awards and generally successful films (even though they might not be box office hits) then you have also Kathryn Bigelow which has been a Hollywood big player for the last 20 years.
Still… all the power to Sam.
This is so true. We see so much terrible drivel made by male directors, yet women directors get limited to no chance for box office glory. One female director makes a watchable box office success movie out of a sex drivel book, and many men have made box office success out of no concept graphic violence. I’ll take sex drivel any day. Hope she and more women get a chance to show what they can do.
They already did green light the sequels. I do wonder how much they spent on promotion because it was everywhere – and not in an organic sort of way. A ton of sites were running advertorial type hype and not even just the standard ad skins on the site homepages. People mag must’ve been paid a ton for their corny non-stop ads/posts. And there seemed to be a lot of paid celeb promotion/wooing, too. So, I’d love to see the actual final tally for advertising/marketing compared to what it took in and the production costs, etc.
A 38 year old man I know took an 18 year old high school student to see this this weekend in the hopes it would get him laid. I can now only think of that when I think of this movie. So don’t forget that some of that 32% you mentioned are just dirty old pervs. Ugh. Now I feel gross again.
Yes, it’s like the creepy guy involved in swinging who brags to all the women that he’s poly-amorous when all he really wants to do i s f*ck his neighbor’s wife. Creeps gonna creep and I’m not surprised grown men are buying popcorn for teen aged girls at this movie.
Made $240Mil Globally! Freaking crazy, I almost fell of the sofa after reading it last night. $200mil profit in a weekend? Damn!! Still not getting a cent out of me for these books and the movie (and sequel movies) but happy for all of them.
I agree- that’s an insane amount of $$. And please, so what if it drops x %? The money’s been made. Granted, you always want more. Hope the director and actors got a %age of book office deal.
Damn… I wish I were a producer of that… ha!
What does it mean?…well, to quote Lisa Simpson:
“You’ll never go broke appealing to the lowest common denominator”.
+1
+2
I’m really not expecting to much out of this franchise after the hype die down. I believe the movie had a good weekend because of two factors:
1) Valentine’s Day ( woman/gay males along with the poor boyfriend/husband that had to go.)
2) Morbid curiosity (wanting to see what the hype is all about since the majority of the reviews were from bad to awful)
By the time this is all over the sequel will be straight to dvd starring Eva Longoria and Jesse Matclaff.
The third installment will be a bad made for Lifetime movie starring Lindsay Lohan and the guy from the travel website commercial.
LMAO! Ah, funcakes, that was perfect! 😀
@Funcakes: Ha!. Agreed.
It means that every time someone says
‘but so and so’s movie made X amount, that proves they are talented and amazing” I can remind them that 50 Shades was also a monster hit. I honestly think that in many, not all, cases, the more money a movie makes the more of a chance it has of being just OK. The more people a movie pleases the more generic it seems to be.
I think it means a huge uptick in sex toy related injuries at the hospital I work at. I will let you guys know. I also think it means that there will be alot of my co-workers telling me Things I Never Want To Hear From Them. Oy.
God I’m so sorry. That’s the first thing I thought of when I saw the advertising for this movie. That son of a bitch HIPPA. It’s to bad pictures are restricted to teach people what not to do with your sex toy.
I got dragged to this. It was pretty bad. Acrually, the supporting roles were good. The leads were wooden and cliched at best. Dakota Johnson was surprisingly decent at the funny moments, but otherwise pretty awful. She should consider comedic roles.
It wasn’t sexy in the least. But it was good for a laugh. It should’ve been on Cinemax at 1 am.
To those talking about it promoting abuse: I agree in the book. I was livid when I read the book. Because of the obvious abuse and the abuse to my language abilities. But the movie really toned down the control/abuse. I give Sam Taylor Johnson kudos for that.
But I refuse to give money to the fame-hungry grand “auteur” that brought said romantization of abuse upon us.
Both the book and the movie were gifted to me. Not that I wanted them, but….
I think I’ll go hate-watch it when it comes to the second-run theater near me. No way I’d spend $12 on this crap…
Easy prediction: no $80 mil next weekend!
All of these movies like this drop about 65 percent the next week, so it will probably do the same. Movies like this don’t do weekends with the same total as the previous weekend. Harry Potter, Twilight, Hunger Games all didn’t so this probably won’t.
Kaiser, if you count the Thursday screenings it pasted $90 million.
We need Mystery Science Theater 3000 just for these special occasions.
I saw the movie. It’s Ok. It isn’t as bad as people are making it out to be. The actors were great, but it lacks a plot . Dakota, Jamie, and Sam did a good job. This is one of those movies people love to hate. I read some of the comments on IMDb and people were commenting that they hated the movie and talked about how bad it is, but then said they hadn’t even seen it. It doesn’t make any sense, at least see the movie before writing a review. 50 shades of grey is terrible ficition, but that’s all it is FICTION. People really need to learn the difference between Fantasy and Reality. The books aren’t real and the movies aren’t real. Why do people take everything so serious? I’m mature enough to realize that and I went to see the movie, like all people do for entertainment value. Not to learn a life lesson.
Hear, hear.
I predict at least a 70 to 75% drop next week. Perhaps Hot Tub Time Machine will knock 50 Shades of Dull off the top spot. Good Lord…I am actually rooting for Hot Tub Time Machine to kick Shades ass. Ah well, so be it. ANYTHING is better than Fifty Shades of Beige and it’s lousy lead actors.
Take out the abuse aspect out, and this film is a great success for the women involved with bringing it to the big screen is what I got from everyone’s comments.
I have no opinion on this movie as I’ve never read the book, and choose to watch Colin Firth seduce me on screen in his sexy suit while kicking some ass.
Forgive me if it has already been mentioned, but what demographic were they going for? If it is mostly young women, and maybe even newlyweds, then I would guess that they are hitting that quite well and kudos to them. I always had zero plans see it, or read the book, but I imagine that is because I am not in that demographic. At first blush publicity of the book, I assumed it would be much like the pearl clutching of my late teen, early 20’s Cosmopolitan days. There are others that are not in that demo, that I could see possibly enjoying it. Using a well known ‘for instance’, maybe Brandi Glanville, because it could be a fun girl’s night, as a rental, with drinking and good natured laughing. In the same Housewives group, I could never see it hitting Lisa Vanderpump’s radar. Not because she is stuffy, by any means. Quite the opposite actually. Neither of those ladies are pearl clutchers.
I have not read the book nor will I be watching the movie.
I dont really understand what is so amazing about it. From what I heard I about an abusive relationship and having just gotten out of an emotional and psycohogicaly abusive marriage to a guy very similar to the dude in the movie, I really cannot understand why anyone would think this is romance .
also with all the porn that is around, I dont know why everyone was so memorized because there was some sexual things in the book
lame
Thank you Alicia! People need to hear from real life women who have been in a relationship like this. I am so saddened by the comments here and on other threads talking about how this is a love story… it is not. If you need to a contract to limit how much pain and abuse you should endure, what you need is a lawyer and a restraining order.
The notion that “the love of a good woman will save a man” is pure crap. What that man needs is therapy, not a willing, submissive victim.
This movie was stupidly dreadful and anyone saying otherwise need to get their heads checked. First, saying that Dakota was the best thing in FSOG is like trying to find the classiest housewife in Real Housewives of Anywhere. USA Today’s critic said that Dakota went to the “Kristen Stewart school of acting” and NY Times critic called her “professional lip-biter” and I agree. Jamie, on the other hand, looked confused most of the time and I can’t blame him. He had awful dialogue to deliver and play a creepy stalker. He obviously doesn’t like his character or Dakota. If the FSOG cast didn’t hate each other before then they hate each other now. Dakota’s famewhoring and nepotism are becoming aggressively annoying. Rita Ora seems over it. Jamie’s probably looking for a way out. The rest of the cast are non-existent and Sam Johnson made a cheap sexist movie. I suspect Sam just likes to hear herself talk and pretend to be an “artiste.”
The movie averaged a dismal C rating on Cinemascore and a 26% rotten rating on Rotten Tomatoes from critics. It would have been lower had some critics chosen a rotten rating instead of a fresh like Entertainment Weekly’s critic who wrote a scathing review but gave the film a B-. Whoever pays your bills, right? I heard Richard Roeper tear this film apart and congratulate Charlie Hunnam’s wise decision to leave FSOG. This movie is a laughing stock and once the hype dies down, what’s left? How long until the sequel? Will anyone care by then? By the way, I DID NOT PAY to see this movie and if you did then you’re doing it wrong. In fact, just watch it online for free so you can fast-forward through everything really.
@Siena I DID NOT PAY to see this movie and if you did then you’re doing it wrong. In fact, just watch it online for free so you can fast-forward through everything really. If you didn’t watch it, how would know about Dakota or Jamie’s bad acting ?
Jamie and Dakota seem like introverts and aren’t really fans of the attention on the red carpet, so I think they are far from being attention hungry. I really don’t understand the dislike for Dakota Johnson. She isn’t over the top and annoying like most celebs and she isn’t anywhere near bad as an actress as K. Stew. She isn’t one of the best, I think she would do very well in a film with better source material. Same for Jamie. Actually I wish all the cast members and Sam the best on future film roles.
Krystal – Watching it online for free might be your option, but when you do the research to find out the types of syndicates, gangs and outright crooks you’re supporting by stealing copyrighted material, buying designer knock offs, etc., my guess is you’ll stop doing it. Not going to say I didn’t used to do the same sort of thing, but after my identity was stolen and I had to educate myself about the type of organizations that master that sort of theft, I learned a lot about the ripple effects it causes and the underworld criminal types it supports. JMO, but it’s worth looking into.
What are you talking about? Of course I saw the film. I’m just saying that I was lucky enough not to pay for it. I can’t decide whether FSOG fans or Twilight fans are the worse. The excuses these women make are unreal. People were laughing during the movie and not with it but at it. They kept calling the film ‘stupid’ and ‘boring’ and ‘the worst .’ One guy exiting the theatre said ” If Katniss were here she’d shoot an arrow up this guy’s ass” to which someone else replied “Bring on Katniss! She makes everything better.” We get the stupidity that is FSOG, don’t worry.
@ Kiyoshigirl
I didn’t watch it online for free. I saw it at the movies. I’m referring to the person that said you could find it online. I don’t watch movies online. It’s too risky with viruses and getting your information stolen like you said. I don’t see why anyone would want to watch the movie, if they hated the books whether they watched it online or at the movies.
@ Siena I’m a causal viewer that loves going to the movies, not a 50 shades fan. I just think people are going a little overboard with the hate for this film. It’s a movie meaning it’s fictional. People act like they don’t know the difference between fictional movies and reality. I watched Harry Potter but that doesn’t mean I’m going to turn into a wizard. 50 shades of Grey will be one of those films people love to hate. Even if you didn’t pay for the ticket, someone else did and it still made a profit. If they make a profit they are going to make more movies. Good job, people. If people didn’t want to see anymore crappy movies being made, they wouldn’t go see them.
Krystal, just because you and I can distinguish between fact and fiction doesn’t mean that everyone else can! I really wish that were true, but that’s not the world we live in. Let’s not pretend and make excuses, because that’s what you’re doing. You’re assuming everyone is as capable as you are to understand the difference between reality and fiction and that’s not true. It’s not just a book or a movie or a conversation, because for some, it becomes a lot more, okay? Take care.
If I may quote poster, Jen2,” Movies cannot take the place of individual responsibility to society and others or be blamed for its ills. And if any adult sees these films and takes them seriously, then they have real problems which the film did not create”.
And what’s the alternative? Censorship?
@Siena
Why do we assume, when the product is marketed to men, that adults can tell the difference between reality vs fantasy/fiction, but when something is marketed to women, it’s all “oh nos the poor stupid womens will all try to build red rooms cause they think the movie is real!”.
Men make box office hits out of stupid violent movies all the time. They are not treated like it says something about their character. I’m sick of women not being treated like adults.
I rolled my eyes to all my married female friends who (were excited about this movie) wanted to see that sh*te. They knew they would not drag me to see it.
Is it any more insipid that the slog of ultra-violent superhero movies out there? Big picture – this means that a film directed by a woman is one of the highest grossing movies of the year, and it makes it more likely for studios to greenlight female-driven, directed, written projects.
my heart stopped when I read that they are making two more.
I actually saw this with a group of girl friends this weekend, and I was surprised by how many men were in the audience. And I am not just talking about men being dragged by their girlfriends and wives. There was a group of 8, very goodlooking, men who sat beside my group. They actually made the movie more enjoyable with their commentary. When the camera started to pan down Jamie Dornan’s body but stopped just short of showing anything but a little bit of fuzz, lots of very loud, disappointed sighs.
I don’t understand why people are getting so worked up over this……did not read the books, did see the movie, honestly out of curiosity. It was not that good but Dakota/Jamie were not terrible in the roles they were given. Some parts…yes laughable. I don’t see how it glorifies abuse….she leaves him in the end!! And from what I read in the BDSM community it is NOT an accurate depiction of that lifestyle where it is pleasurable to both partners to engage in those behaviors. Don’t most people try to make compromises for the ones’ they love? I guess for this character (Ana) it was too much and she chose to leave. Will I see the other two films if they actually come to fruition? Doubtful……but really don’t understand why people are having such extreme reactions. Either see or not. There is plenty of other stuff out there that definitely glorifies abuse towards women more so than this film IMO.
I saw it at an advanced screening where they had an open bar prior to the screening. I hadn’t read the books. I liked it, it made me laugh, cringe but it was entertaining. I’m excited about seeing the next one for FREE (hopefully with an open bar) 🙂
I should be ashamed, but I have been making my husband talk to me in an Irish accent ever since I watched the Fall. Sigh!
No shame. Irish accents are hot. But I don’t think Dornan uses one as Grey. Also, I find him a lot more attractive in the Fall than anything I’ve from FSoG
Apparently middle aged women in middle America are attending in droves. Imagine all that buttered popcorn being consumed? The movie is making money but it’s also being obliterated on review sites like IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes. As of last night it had a 26% approval rating on RT and a 3.6 rating on IMDB. The people who are going to see it are laughing on the way out of the theatre. Seems like the defensive reviews are being written by women who can’t spell or properly construct a sentence, and I’m no grammar police. To me, that says everything.
… it means we failed as humanity
But in a serious note, I was hoping this movie to bomb so we could avoid sequels and stuff. Anyway, I do think this movie is sending the wrong message to girls. I don’t want my younger cousins to grow up thinking that being with an abusive man is ok.
Young girls shouldn’t be seeing this movie or reading this book.
Adult women have the right to decide for themselves whether they want to watch (or read) this story. Failing as humanity would be having someone unilaterally decide that women cannot handle reading this fictitious book/watching this movie because it will confuse them about what a healthy relationship looks like. I don’t see this as any worse than movies/tv shows that glorify violence – shows like Sons of Anarchy glorify violence and abusive relationships a hell of a lot more than this book does.
I read the books – the writing was not good, but considering that they are twilight fan fiction, it could have been a lot worse. I was in no way ever confused about what an abusive relationship is and isn’t.
I saw Pretty Woman on cable when I was in my early teens. I did not grow up to be a hooker.
Women (even young women) have the ability to distinguish fact from fiction/fantasy just as well as men can. We have to stop treating women like stupid children who need protection from silly things, like books and movies.
What does it mean…….maybe hard-up housewives.
My girlfriend gave me the book to read and I barely got thru the 1st chapter, I kept think “this is a bad try-hard knock-off of 9 1/2 weeks. Just sayin!
This is a one trick pony. All the hype and curiosity, plus V-day weekend made this film. I haven’t seen it but everyone I know who has says it was comically bad. I think next weeks figures will drop dramatically and a sequel will bomb big time.
It means women are hungry for media that caters to their sexual appetites, and they’ll settle for whatever they’re given regardless of how shit the original product is.
But there are SO many books and even films out there that do that. All those bodice rippers… still FSOG is celebrated like something entirely new. I don’t really understand that…
Ahhhh….interesting. Just weeks ago we were all aghast at the temerity of North Korea questioning the USAs right to make, produce and watch The Interview no matter how stupid or bad it was…because it is our RIGHT to watch garbage, dammit, and so we will now all flock to see it to thumb our nose at NK daring to suggest we cant.
But now its OK to look down at others who may wish to see this movie? REALLY?
I likely won’t be pay discretionary income to see either, but just out of curiously, I’ll likely turn both of them on to check them out when they show up in the future on Netflix or something of that ilk that I am already paying for.
Because I can. Who knows…I’ll likely flip channels within 10-15 minutes…but whether I do or don’t, why should anyone else care or question my choice or my taste?
You do you and let others choose for themselves……its all good.
I didn’t watch either movie because I found the source material in both cases to be problematic, but I agree that it’s unfair to punish women for their interest. We don’t shame men for their low quality fantasy porn, why do the same to women?
1. People like dumb movies sometimes.
2. Studios should consider releasing some decent-quality movies in February. The competition aimed at adult moviegoers is Jupiter Ascending and Kingsman: The Secret Service, which are also dumb movies, and American Sniper, which has been in theaters forever.
3. Studios should consider releasing some more movies aimed at women. Apparently a lot of women want to see romantic dramas. Why not make some decent ones?
What does it mean ? It means they are a lot of idiots out there .
JC and Veronica couldn’t of said it better.
Totally agree with both!
I commented in the past that this film will be a commercial success.
Some of you argued with me.
Here I am only to say: I TOLD YOU SO!
Btw. I am no crazy fan. I only read the first book of 50SoG and
I have not seen the movie.
Did you like the book? Should I read it?
Sorry for responding late.
I found it bland. I would rather go with 9 1/2 weeks, that was more “real” and feminist.
That Ana character was like from another planet.
Whatever. I just binge-watched The Fall and he was AMAZING in it. So good. It makes me almost want to see this horrible movie just for him…
Yes! Someone who should be feel shame just like me. Ok! It is time to get a life and stop reading Jamie Dornan related comments. I think I put this holiday into very good use.
I did the binge watch 2 weeks ago- he was amazing in The Fall. No shame there, and if there is- Shame On😃!!
He can portray a dead eyed serial killer because he’s a blank slate as an actor.
It means, all the old people were out with their pants unzipped.
I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. And i haven’t read the books. It’s very rare to see women directors also. Mainly I just wanted to escape my own problems for 2 hours and be entertained.
It means that a lot of women have f*ked up views on what constitutes “ideal” in a partner and relationship. I hate how many people call Christian Grey their ideal man because he ends up buying Anastasia lavish gifts and she later “reforms” him, you know, after the raping, stalking, verbal and physical abuse, and controlling behavior. Very creepy.
9 1/2 weeks is the same exact story only better and Kim Basinger and Mickey Rourke (pre-plastic surgery) have more chemistry.