Shropshire Star

Fifty Shades of Grey dominates cinemas in Shropshire

Fifty Shades Of Grey dominated  cinemas at the weekend – and proved a smacking success in Telford.

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Nationally the big screen adaptation of EL James's hit erotic brought in ticket sales of £13.5 million since its release on Friday.

The film stars Jamie Dornan as suave businessman Christian Grey who seduces college student Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson) into an S&M relationship.

It outstripped the competition – taking in more in ticket sales than the rest of the top 10 films combined and becoming the most successful 18-certificate film ever in the UK and Ireland.

The film accounted for more than half of all weekend ticket sales at Telford's Odeon Cinema.

General manager Netty Smith said the film attracted 2,991 ticket sales over 42 weekend screenings. The cinema's average weekend attendance is 5,500, she added.

"It's been a really big hit," she said. "We have had some people coming out to see it for a Valentine's date, and we have had lots of big groups of crazy ladies who like to drink wine," she added.

"It's been groups of ladies and couples."

Cineworld, which has multiplexes in both Telford and Shrewsbury, was unable to supply box office figures.

The Vue Cinema chain said it took in £3.37 million alone from the film over the weekend, with more than 300,000 watching it on Saturday.

Chief executive Tim Richards said: "The Fifty Shades Of Grey film adaptation was always going to be popular with audiences but the combination of it being Valentine's weekend was the ideal scenario for record-breaking movie-going in Europe."

The controversial film has been so succesful that its star said he was going to flee the country to avoid the hype.

Appearing on The Graham Norton Show, Dornan said: "I am fleeing the country. I am certainly not going to stand in Leicester Square without my shirt, asking people if they enjoyed the movie! I am keeping a low profile."

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