Fifty Shades Darker sells sex... and business is booming. The sequel to the top-grossing erotica adaptation opened in the U.S. last weekend to a robust $46.6 million, and added more to that bank on Valentine's Day, according to box office receipts. Down Under, however, we're really hoping that one person watched the sequel by themselves in a Sydney, Australia movie theater, because the employees cleaning up after a screening found a cucumber on the floor. All together now: "Eeewwwwwwwwwww!!"
This is why people are advocating for first-run movies to reach home video sooner rather than later. Who wants to drag themselves all the way out to a movie theater on a Valentine's Eve with your vegetable date for an intimate screening of Fifty Shades Darker? Wouldn't you plunk down $50 for a 48-hour exclusive window to enjoy the, ahem, passionate feature film in the privacy of your own home?
Almost everyone visiting the post on the Facebook page of the Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace in Sydney instantly yelled at the employee for handling said cucumber. They were told to sterilize their hands immediately, and were questioned why they picked it up in the first place! The theater, who is having fun with the situation at their own expense, blamed the incident on Student Night, which happened at the venue, and said they instantly regretted touching the vegetable, saying that they didn't know what it was because the house lights were still down.
In James Foley's Fifty Shades Darker, the controversial dominatrix Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan) continues his dangerous relationship with submissive Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson), and his attraction grows because of the way this girl -- unlike all of the others -- pushes back against his natural tendencies. The duo deal with some lingering personal issues, but the hook of the sequel is to see these two attractive Hollywood starlets in their birthday suits. Often. Hence, the need for a cucumber.
Fifty Shades Darker already has earned an impressive $148 million worldwide, as fans of the first movie, and those who read E.L. James' books, flock to see how the story continues. Even before we knew that this sequel would be a hit, the studios went ahead and greenlit Fifty Shades Freed, which will conclude the trilogy in February 2018. There was footage from Fifty Shades Freed -- which was filmed at the same time as Darker -- in the end credits of Fifty Shades Darker. I wonder if Cucumber Smuggler stayed in the theater long enough to find that out?
