Fifty Shades of Grey opened over the Valentine’s Day weekend, and Valentine’s Day itself fell on a Saturday. as such, a movie like Fifty Shades may have seen more business than it otherwise would have.
Analysts are predicting a $35 million to $40 million opening for Fifty Shades Darker, which is much less than the $85 million opening the first film received in North America.
As The Hollywood Reporter points out, the $85 million that the first film brought in was actually well above expectations at the time.
This year, the romantic holiday falls on a Tuesday, so the sequel will draw fewer couples looking for a steamy weekend.