Timing behind box office gold

WHEN Universal bumped

from August 2014 to Valentine’s Day, 2015, it seemed like a cheesy gimmick. Now that the box office results are in, it’s clear that it was the most brilliant stroke of all.

The adaptation of author EL James’s erotic novel debuted to an astounding $172 million internationally last weekend, breaking box office records for the month of February, female filmmakers and R-rated movies in what is proving to be a perfect storm of intrigue, brand, and crafty execution by Universal Pictures.

was always expected to be a fruitful endeavour – that’s why nearly every studio in town clamoured to scoop up the rights to James’s phenomenally successful trilogy in 2012. When Focus Features and parent company Universal were the lucky winners, the hype only intensified as fans hungered for everything from casting rumours, to first photos of stars Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan, and clues about what would make the final cut.

But fans alone don’t explain a blockbuster debut. Produced for a modest $40m with no tested starpower in front of the camera, Universal and Focus were hedging their bets from the beginning, keeping costs reasonable and stoking the buzz machine with a coy marketing campaign playing on the interest of those who hadn’t read the book.

Not only did it spark a culture-wide dialogue, it became an event movie centred on a single date: Valentine’s Day.

The somewhat random fact that Valentine’s Day fell on a Saturday in 2015 was key: it ensured that interest would stay high for at least the first two days of theatrical release.

Day one would be for the die-hard fans. Day two would be for the couples. “That was a shrewd move,” said Gitesh Pandya, editor of BoxOfficeGuru.com. “This is the one weekend of the entire year where men will see a film that they do not want to see. The other 51 weeks of the year are a little different.”

Whereas most films with ardent fan bases drop off dramatically on day two, grew.

Still, moviegoers didn’t seem to be thrilled with the results. According to market research firm CinemaScore, audiences gave the film a dismal C+ rating. – Sapa-AP