LOS ANGELES — Despite being nearly a year away from its theatrical release, anticipation is building for the upcoming “Fifty Shades Darker” movie, which will make its screen debut in time for Valentine’s Day 2017.
This anticipation is expected to be fueled by the ongoing release of trailers and music tracks, along with mainstream news hype that raises public awareness of the film and its highly sexual themes.
As a result, sex toy firm Lovehoney, which owns the license to design and manufacture the official line of “Fifty Shades of Grey” pleasure products, is encouraging retailers and distributors to prepare for a new wave of demand as excitement for the film builds.
According to Lovehoney’s General Sales Manager Jim Primrose, last year the company experienced sales spikes after each trailer for the original “Fifty Shades of Grey” debuted.
“The demand for official ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ pleasure products skyrocketed as the movie, which made $571m worldwide, broke all box office records,” Primrose explains. “We are expecting the same [thing] to happen this year, and we have plenty of new products in the pipeline to keep fans satisfied.”
Primrose says that “Fifty Shades Darker” is shaping up to be better than its prequel, with a cast featuring Jamie Dornan as Christian and Dakota Johnson as Anastasia, along with Kim Basinger as Christian Grey's former lover Elena Lincoln and Eric Johnson as Anastasia’s boss Jack Hyde.
“Fifty Shades of Grey” director Sam Taylor-Johnson bowed out of working on the new release and was replaced by James Foley, known for his work on the Netflix series “House of Cards.”
Adult retailers interested in stocking Lovehoney’s official “Fifty Shades of Grey” collections can click here or email tradeenquiries@lovehoney.co.uk.
