The controversial movie "Fifty Shades of Grey" won't be hitting theaters until February 13, 2015, but according to The Epoch Times, Universal says that it is now the most-watched trailer in history. The film's producers shared that the trailer for the film adaptation of E.L. James' novel with the same name have already garnered 100 million views on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and other platforms. "The YouTube trailer had more than 20 million views alone," says The Epoch Times.
According to The Independent, the trailer featuring Jamie Dornan, who will play Christian Grey, and Dakota Johnson, who will be playing Anastasia Steele, have already reached 100 million views on its first week of release. The trailer hints at the BDSM romance revolving around the Gray and Steele. Even before the trailer was released, Beyonce "dropped a shorter, unannounced version five days earlier to 14 million followers on her Instagram feed," shares The Independent. The trailer featured a remix of Beyonce's "Crazy in Love", which is included in the official soundtrack.
With the success of James' books, many have shown interest in capitalizing on the franchise. Chris Albrecht, TV channel Starz CEO said that he had wanted "Fifty Shades of Grey" to be a TV series. The Epoch Times quoted him saying, "I'm the guy who called up Universal and said, 'I'll get you three years on the air as a series.'" Albrecht's plans didn't pan out, however. "But movie people think things are movies, and authors think things are movies," The Epoch Times reports him saying.
Other business related to the franchise have also been reported, one of them being a "Fifty" inspired hotel by an unnamed businessman. The businessman, according to E! Online, rented out the L'Om del Llosar hotel and changed its name to "The Story of O", which is a chateau mentioned in a 1954 erotic novel. However, said businessman confirmed that the true inspiration was "Fifty". "I saw a business opportunity that hadn't been exploited yet in Spain," he said in an interview with The Local. The hotel has 20 rooms, all of which can be used for any BDSM-related activity. "The Story of O" was supposed to open on August 1, but it has been shut down by a local church nearby.
To date, the series have already sold 100 million copies.
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