Universal Pictures/Entertainment Pictures/ZUMAPRESS.comIt's not even February yet and Fifty Shades of Grey is already gearing up to be a box-office success.
The highly anticipated flick, which will be released in theaters on Feb. 13 (just in time for Valentine's Day!), has apparently struck gold at Fandango.
According to the ticket-selling site, Fifty Shades of Grey has just become the fastest-selling R-rated movie in their history.
The film adaptation of E.L. James' erotic novel has just beat Sex and the City 2 for the top spot in online ticket sales, Variety reports.
And considering that Fandago claims its site represents 80 percent of theaters with online ticket capabilities in America, it's crystal clear what audiences want to see.
The demand for seeing the film has become so massive that movie theaters around the country are working around the clock to find ways to squeeze in extra showtimes for the movie.
After Fifty managed to dodge an NC-17 rating from the Motion Picture Association of America last week, Morality in Media, an American anti-pornography organization, criticized the "R" rating and even called out the MPAA's wording around the movie's "unusual behavior" in terms of the sex scenes.
"What the term ‘unusual' does not account for is the coercion, sexual violence, female inequality, and BDSM themes from which the entire Fifty Shades plot is based," Morality in Media said in a statement. "Such a vague evaluation puts viewers at risk, sending the message that humiliation is pleasurable and that torture should be sexually gratifying."
Clearly all the controversy, and the already massive fan base, has just piqued everyone's interest even more.