It is the movie version of one of the most sensational novels in the world.
And the continuing appeal of the saucy trilogy, Fifty Shades of Grey, is so strong that one Mayo movie theatre is already taking bookings for the film’s release - a full six months in advance of it hitting Irish screens.
Mayo Movie World at Moneen, Castlebar, started promoting the film this week after the official movie trailer was posted on Youtube and racked up well in excess of 15 million views in the first seven days.
Fifty Shades of Grey, by British author EL James, both shocked and thrilled readers all over the world when it was first published in 2011, with its explicit tale of the unworldly college graduate Anastasia Steele swept off her feet by millionaire, sado-masochist, Christian Grey.
The trilogy charting the unlikely couples’ relationship went on to sell more than 100 million copies worldwide and has been translated into 52 languages.
The film version is to be released on a day that is traditionally set aside for a somewhat softer, more rose-tinted, interpretation of romance and love - St Valentine’s 2015.
Manager at Mayo Movie World, Pat Concannon, said there is already huge hype ahead of the film’s release.
“There seems to be a high level of expectation around this film,” he said. “The books were hugely popular in Ireland so we are expecting big sales, no doubt about it.”
Although it is not yet known what certification the Irish Film Classification Office will place on the movie or whether it will be censored for Irish audiences, Mr Concannon said Mayo Movie World is “working on the assumption that this will be an 18 cert movie”.
“If the film matches the books in any shape or form, it has to be,” he noted.
Tickets for Fifty Shades of Grey are available now at www.mayomovieworld.ie
