Date night or moms night off: moviegoers plan for ‘Fifty’

In this image released by Universal Pictures and Focus Features, Jamie Dornan, left, and Dakota Johnson appear in a scene from "Fifty Shades of Grey." The ticket-buying site Fandango said pre-sales have propelled the movie into the 15-year-old company's Top 5 for R-rated selections. Several hundred screenings have already sold out from Tupelo, Mississippi, to Chattanooga, Tennessee, the company said. (AP Photo/Universal Pictures and Focus Features) In this image released by Universal Pictures and Focus Features, Jamie Dornan, left, and Dakota Johnson appear in a scene from "Fifty Shades of Grey." The ticket-buying site Fandango said pre-sales have propelled the movie into the 15-year-old company's Top 5 for R-rated selections. Several hundred screenings have already sold out from Tupelo, Mississippi, to Chattanooga, Tennessee, the company said. (AP Photo/Universal Pictures and Focus Features)

By Associated Press February 6, 2015 6 min read

NEW YORK (AP) – Brittany Brown wouldn’t miss the opening of the “Fifty Shades of Grey” movie for anything. She has read and re-read all three books, uses the app, follows FSOG role play on Twitter and set her DVR to record trailers for the highly anticipated Valentine’s weekend release.

But ditching her boyfriend for her gal gang of superfans was problematic.

“Feb. 14 is actually his birthday. He’ll go out with his guy friends and I’ll see FSOG with my friends. Later that evening we’ll all meet up to party. We’ll celebrate Valentine’s Day on Sunday as a couple,” said Brown, a 22-year-old public relations intern in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Three years in the waiting, the opening of the erotic romance on sweethearts’ weekend will be a breathless affair for “Fifty” die-hards everywhere.

Some will have husbands in tow. Some already have tickets. And those book groups of mommies that helped propel the bondage story to more than 100 million copies sold? They’ll be crowding theaters, too.