A cinema has had to put on extra screenings of the steamy film Fifty Shades of Grey because of red hot demand.
The film goes on general release this Valentine’s Day weekend and North Wales’s premier cinema, the Odeon at the Eagles Meadow shopping centre is expecting 9,000 people to watch it over the weekend.
The eagerly-awaited movie stars Dakota Johnson as student Anastasia Steele, the heroine of E L James steamy novel, whose life changes forever when she meets handsome billionaire Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan).
The trilogy of books in the series sold over 100 million copies worldwide and the film seems set to repeat that success, judged by demand in Wrexham.
Mike Smith, Duty Manager of the Odeon Cinema, said: “We are running up to 16 screenings a day over the weekend to cope with the demand because the advance bookings have been phenomenal, especially for an 18-certificate film.
“They aren’t usually as popular as more family-oriented films but we have seen a huge demand for this one and especially with it being Valentine’s Day weekend.
“There have been lots of women coming in to book for all-female parties to see it but also quite a few men booking to see it with their wives or girlfriends.
“A lot of the screens are already sold out – for tonight (Friday) we have one sold out completely already and three more well on their way but there are still plenty of seats available and we’re putting on extra staff over the weekend to cope with the demand.
“I would estimate that over the weekend somewhere around 9,000 people will have been to the Odeon here at Eagles Meadow to watch the film.”
Kevin Critchley, Manager of the Eagles Meadow Shopping Centre, said: “The book was a publishing phenomenon and it looks as though the film is going to be similarly popular.
“It’s always great to see a major film opening at here at Eagles Meadow and that’s certainly going to be the case for this weekend and there will hopefully be a knock-on effect for other retailers, especially the restaurants like Pizza Express, Real China, Nando’s and Frankie and Benny’s.”
