The 2015 film Fifty Shades of Grey was adapted from the E.L. James’ novel by the same name. Although the movie received unfavorable reviews, it was a box office hit, breaking numerous box office records and earning more than $571 million worldwide. The sequel was released on February 10, 2017, and one year later in 2018, the third installment of the franchise, Fifty Shades Darker, hit theatres. There’s been a lot going on behind the scenes of the Fifty Shades of Grey franchise, so here are 10 behind the scenes secrets:
10. Auction for Film Rights
E.L. James didn’t peddle the movie rights to the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy until they were already an international phenomenon, so when they were suddenly available, movie studio wanted to adapt the trilogy, which gave James considerable bargaining power. In early 2012, a slew of studios including Sony, Warner Bros., Paramount, and Universal entered into an auction for the film rights for the trilogy. Universal and Focus Features eventually secured the screen rights reportedly because they assured James that the material in the books would be handled with care.
© Focus Features/courtesy Everett Collection