Fifty Shades of Grey dominates weekend box office taking in over $10m
Fifty Shades of Grey dominated the Valentine’s Day weekend, pulling in a staggering $10.437m across 523 screens, the biggest opening of the year so far, while the anticipated box office debut of The Interview failed to draw a big crowd.
The film, based on the book by EL James, has not been without controversy, with a number of anti-domestic violence groups and celebrities condemning the storyline for glamourising an abusive relationship.
It thrashed its nearest rival Kingsman: The Secret Service, making more money in one weekend than it has made since its premiere last weekend. Kingsman made $2.967m across 359 screens, taking its total Australian box office total to $8.626m.
American Sniper, the other film to pass $1m in ticket takings, grabbed $1.226m across 306 screens. The film has made a total of $16.329m at the local box office.
However, James Franco and Seth Rogan’s The Interview failed to bring in ticket sales in its opening weekend, only managing $553,442 across 186 screens.
That film was originally released on YouTube in December after threats from North Korea, and an incident where Sony Pictures had its database hacked and saw sensitive emails leaked online by the Guardians of Peace Group, who then threatened terrorist action against movie theatres which played it.
Australian movie Paper Planes missed out on the top five after taking in $370,985 across 228 screens, but to date the film has made $8.219m.
| Title (Distributor) | Weekend B/O | Screens | Total B/O |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fifty Shades Of Grey (Universal) | $10,437,535 | 523 | $10,437,535 |
| Kingsman: The Secret Service (Fox) | $2,967,780 | 359 | $8,626,610 |
| American Sniper (Roadshow) | $1,226,862 | 306 | $16,329,473 |
| The Theory Of Everything (Universal) | $662,072 | 214 | $4,135,969 |
| The Interview (Sony) | $553,442 | 186 | $606,540 |
| Paper Planes (Roadshow) | $370,985 | 228 | $8,219,697 |
| The Imitation Game (Roadshow) | $367,612 | 176 | $17,088,742 |
| Selma (Studiocanal) | $327,362 | 108 | $462,453 |
| What We Did On Our Holiday (Paramount) | $271,060 | 64 | $350,132 |
| The Wedding Ringer (Sony) | $175,758 | 82 | $2,946,137 |
| Still Alice (Icon) | $165,798 | 77 | $1,065,695 |
| The Gambler (Paramount) | $147,483 | 176 | $776,710 |
| Birdman (Fox) | $145,950 | 113 | $5,112,986 |
| Wild (Fox) | $123,595 | 128 | $2,639,457 |
| The Water Diviner (Universal) | $117,790 | 0 | $15,560,636 |
| Big Hero 6 (Disney) | $103,289 | 103 | $21,545,060 |
| Somewhere Only We Know (Chinalion Film) | $90,011 | 14 | $90,011 |
| Penguins Of Madagascar (Fox) | $65,032 | 106 | $15,465,513 |
| The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies (Wb) | $64,801 | 25 | $34,749,336 |
| Unbroken (Universal) | $64,153 | 81 | $6,029,872 |
Miranda Ward worked for Mumbrella from 2013 to 2017, eventually becoming deputy editor. Miranda joined Mumbrella in September 2013 from Sky News.
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50 shades of grey
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Fifty Shades of Grey
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Kingsman: The Secret Service
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