Why ‘Fifty Shades’ is breaking records, despite the haters 

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Why ‘Fifty Shades’ is breaking records, despite the haters

"Fifty Shades of Grey" spanked the box office over the weekend. Photo: Universal Pictures

Anti-“Fifty Shades” crusading created some strange bedfellows this weekend.

The movie’s dull, many critics said. It endorses bad behavior. It sets gender roles back decades. It’s borderline unwatchable.

“Fifty Shades” soundly spanked the box office this weekend. Its $81.7 million (now revised up to $94.4 million, reports Variety) makes it the biggest-ever Presidents’ Day opening, and the second-biggest February opening ever, after 2004’s “The Passion of the Christ.” More significantly, it’s the biggest opening ever for a female director, Sam Taylor-Johnson. (The previous title holder? Catherine Hardwicke, for “Twilight,” which is basically the source material for “Fifty Shades.”) Another telling finding: 68 percent of the audience was female.

Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan in “Fifty Shades of Grey.”Photo: Chuck Zlotnick/Universal Studios

Hmm. That is a tough one. Why on Earth would women flock to a movie with a thin plot revolving around a very attractive man doing naughty, naughty things to a very attractive — and willing — woman?

I’ll let you in on a little secret: Ladies like smut, too. They just don’t spend endless hours watching it online (though their numbers are growing). On the whole, there just aren’t that many dirty movies — or books — targeted at them.

And contrary to the many condescending reviews, women aren’t watching “Fifty Shades” for life lessons on healthy dating. They aren’t under the impression that it’s a documentary. And they aren’t overly concerned that its story line is flimsy; they’re watching “Fifty Shades” for plot subtlety just like men in the ’60s bought Playboy “for the articles.”

It’s called fantasy, and if you’re going to argue it’s the wrong kind, I’d like to see some equivalent write-ups on the appropriateness of the majority of the adult films guys watch online every day.

Why did “Fifty Shades of Grey” do so well at the box office? Here’s a clue: Ladies like smut, too.Photo: Chuck Zlotnick/Universal Studios

Because this is the laughable double standard underlying all the “Fifty Shades” scorn. We take it as a given that all men watch porn, but the E.L. James books — despite their massive success — received an unrelenting torrent of snobbery that boils down to, “Women read this trash and get turned on! Yuck!” The scathing reviews of Taylor-Johnson’s movie adaptation sound pretty similar, and completely miss the point. Since when did we require our smut to be Oscar-worthy? If you’re going to claim that should be the case, then please limit your racy viewing to 1972’s “Last Tango in Paris.” Hope you like butter.

There’s also a subsection of complaints that the movie doesn’t go far enough. If Taylor-Johnson’s movie had gone the graphic route and come out with an NC-17 rating, it would have been accessible to a tiny fraction of the masses of female moviegoers who’ll head out to see “Fifty Shades” at local, family-friendly multiplexes that would never screen an NC-17.

So please, lighten up, everyone. Toast a milestone for female directors, who are still grossly underrepresented in Hollywood. And check back in with me around the time all the unimpressed reviews of the non-Soderbergh-directed sequel “Magic Mike XXL” come out this summer, forecasting a disappointing opening weekend.

Filed under Box Office ,  Fifty Shades of Grey

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Oh, that would be those who don\'t like or agree with the message of this movie.

This shouldn\'t surprise anybody, the same people that went and saw American sniper are the same ones going to see 50 shades of grey,  liberals hate both of these movies but conservatives love them...its just the times we live in. 

Oh, please! If a guy beat the snot out of a woman, the way this idiot did in the last part of the first book, you would be putting a restraining order on him faster than you can say, "Beat me!" Stop talking crap. This book was badly written, and the women flocking to see it are, most likely, housewives with crappy sex lives...it\'s a movie (and books) for people who have no clue about BDSM. So, stop pretending this is even smut. It\'s beyond trash. I read better sex scenes in Harlequin Romance books when I was a teenager. Is your inner goddess feeling better now, Sarah Stewart? UGH! 

I was a 64 year old man when I read the first book.  I felt that if there was information out there that women were reading.  Then I certainly wanted to be informed.  Admittedly I didn\'t read anything that was ground breaking... I enjoyed sharing conversations with my lover and I was turned on by her openness to some things I would have never known.  The trust two people share is sacred and not intended for everyone\'s understanding.  I have yet to see the movie, but I wish people would stay out of other folks bedrooms.  What consenting adults do is no ones business.  The fact that it was written by a woman and not a man makes the whole sexual journey appealing to me as a man...  Guys look at the ticket buyers.

If there ever was an opportunity to find out what some women want or think about, it\'s Fifty Shades Of Grey!

You said it!!  Loved the movie by the way,  went to see it twice!

Fascinating how this film about female bondage is glorified, but American Sniper is controversial.....WTF ????

Garbage film for the bottom feeders of society including the wench that wrote this drivel.

Because if it increases the chance of sex, any man will take his woman to see anything.

So your porn has subtext, depth and highbrow dialogue!?!?

I think there are a lot of stupid people in this world, example any Twilight Fan...so this is their mom\'s movie...stupid breeds stupid.

@Rabid So conservatives like abusive relationships and Stockholm syndrome? Explains a lot really.

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