Jamie Dornan, left, and Dakota Johnson in a scene from "Fifty Shades of Grey."'Mr. Grey will see you now."
Fans of "Fifty Shades of Grey" have waited four years to hear those words from E.L. James' best-seller. Tonight they'll finally get their first glimpse of the sexy business magnate with a secret taste for bondage/discipline and sadomasochism on the big screen.
Anticipation for the Universal Pictures' film has fueled record ticket sales, according to the Fandango and Cinemablend websites. Pre-sales project the movie is on track to earn as much as $60 million over its opening weekend.
After months of titillating speculation as to who could play the leads -- then fan frustration over the casting and recasting of central character Christian Grey -- the movie starts tonight with Dakota Johnson as Anastasia Steele and Jamie Dornan as Grey. "Fifty Shades" opens in theaters nationwide Friday.
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Nick Heintz, manager of the Majestic 12 on Broad Street, says tonight's 8 p.m. screening in his theater's private Ovation Room, which caters to the 21-and-older crowd, sold out by the end of January. He also has an 11:05 p.m. showing tonight in the room along with three other screenings in the Majestic's regular theaters. On Saturday -- Valentine's Day -- all four Ovation shows are sold out.
"My boyfriend is taking me to see it for Valentine's Day. I can't wait," says Crystal Fowler.
In fact, heavy demand has led to the Majestic and the other four Carmike Theaters in the area -- Northgate, East Ridge, Battlefield and Wynnsong -- to line up multiple showings throughout the weekend, with some running between 11 and 14 screenings each day.
Across the country, "theater owners are continually posting new showtimes on its site to meet the fan demand," says Harry Medved, senior director of public relations at Fandango.
Girls Gone Grey
Beth McClain of Ringgold, Ga., is one of eight friends having a Girl's Night Out to catch the movie tonight. Rebecca Leichty of Sale Creek and five friends got tickets a week ago for a Sunday show.
What readers say
There is no gray area when it comes to Christian Grey. When the Times Free Press asked readers on Facebook whether they would catch "Fifty Shades of Grey," responses fell into two distinct categories that were polar opposites -- 113 women were excitedly waiting for opening weekend, 109 were adamantly opposed to the sexual relationship depicted in E.L. James' book. Just five said they didn't care or were waiting for the DVD release. Here's a cross-section of answers: "Read all the books -- catching it Thursday on an early showing." - Bobbie Hickman, UTC alumna living in Denver "I loved the first book, and I'm super excited to drag my boyfriend to see it with me." - Vicki Cunningham of Winchester, Tenn. "Can't wait." - Melissa Lewallen, Cleveland, Tenn. "Yes! Loved the series and definitely excited to see how the 'love story' turns out. Going with girlfriends." - Ale Miranda "I'm going with my husband for our Valentine's Day date." - Camishia Breksa "No, I didn't read it and won't sneak to watch it. My rule of thumb is if I wouldn't watch it with the Savior sitting in the room, I won't watch it. " - Beth Rice * "No! The relationship it depicts is abusive." - Tara Chambers of South Pittsburg, Tenn. "Not supporting that Hollywood garbage." - Carol Lake Haskew of Fort Myers, Fla. "No, I am a Christian and, from what I have heard and seen reported, it is degrading to women." - Gloria Jiles Revis of Dayton, Tenn. "I wouldn't go see that movie if you got me free tickets. I don't do raunchy romance novels." - Keli Dawn Evans
"I've been planning this with my brother's girlfriend since we heard about the movie. Since the guys didn't want to go, we decided to make it a girl's day out," says they 28-year-old Leichty.
She says she was hesitant to read the controversial book, but when she finally did she was "surprised to find an actual story behind it. It's not just an erotic story. I'm interested in how they play out that story in the movie."
Since its release in 2011, "Fifty Shades of Grey" has sold more than 100 million copies and been translated into 50 languages. On Feb. 6, director Sam Taylor-Johnson revealed that the second and third books of James' trilogy, "50 Shades Darker" and "Fifty Shades Freed," will be made into films also.
The story line
The trilogy revolves around Anastasia Steele's relationship with wealthy Christian Grey, whom she meets when Steele, a naive literature student, agrees to interview the reclusive businessman as a favor for her roommate. He is taken with her to the point of obsession -- or stalking as many critics have described it -- and, as their sexual relationship unfolds, it becomes more "adventurous" as she discovers and explores his secret taste for BDSM.
Jamie Dornan, left, and Dakota Johnson in a scene from "Fifty Shades of Grey."Hollywood Reporter has already revealed that one-fifth of the two-hour movie is comprised of these sex scenes, which are the core of the controversy surrounding "Fifty Shades." The book and film have been the subjects of print media and social media campaigns protesting Hollywood's portrayal of the relationship as romantic or erotic when many interpret it as sexual abuse and violence against women. Just last month, Morality in Media, a national anti-pornography coalition, criticized the Motion Picture Association of America for allowing "Fifty Shades" to slide by on an R rating, claiming it "severely undermines the violent themes in the film and does not adequately inform parents and patrons of the film's content."
Cashing in
Advertisers, however, are banking on the fact that sex sells. Many businesses vied for product placements, hoping to reap benefits from "Fifty Shades of Grey."
In one case, Grey drives an Audi R8 Spyder in the books, and also gives Steele an Audi on her 22nd birthday.
"Audi is all over the book and will be in the movie as well," says Jarrett Caraway, general sales manager of Audi Chattanooga. "I'm sure that will create some interest for people who don't know about the car."
To jumpstart that interest, Audi filmed a "Fifty Shades" parody starring Vanessa Bayer of "Saturday Night Live" in a humorous re-creation of the book's elevator scene. Using a variety of references to the book in her pick-up lines, Bayer tries to seduce random men on the elevator -- including one man who holds an Audi key fob in his hand. You can find it on YouTube, but unless you've read the book you won't get the inside jokes.
Twinings tea company should thank author James for bringing its English Tea to Americans' attention. The tea is Steele's go-to morning drink and has received invaluable free publicity from the sales of 100 million books.
With the movie's release on Valentine's Day weekend, expect a bump in gift sales of men's gray ties, Grey's iconic board-room image. The New York Post reported that necktie sales have gone up 23 percent in the last year.
Dakota Johnson was spotted on the movie's set wearing Steele's signature plum dress from the books. Diane von Furstenburg is selling a knock-off at RevolveClothing.com.
In "Fifty Shades," Grey flies Steele to Portland, Ore., on his personal helicopter (Charlie Tango) for a romantic getaway at the Heathman Hotel. It is an actual boutique hotel in downtown Portland, and the Heathman is offering two special theme packages to guests who want to re-create the date. Charlie Tango No Limits is a $2,750 package that includes a private helicopter tour of the city, dinner and drinks at the Heathman restaurant and roses for the ladies. The Inner Goddess is an add-on package to the hotel's room rates that includes Boedecker Pinot Gris wine and a gray keepsake tie.
In the movie, makeup head Victoria Down uses Make Up For Ever products to transform Johnson from Steele as an innocent college student into a more sultry, sophisticated beauty. Now "Fifty" fans can get their Inner Goddess on with makeup sets inspired by the movie from Make Up For Ever. The limited-edition sets are sold at Sephora and range from $32 to $79.
Contact Susan Pierce at spierce@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6284.