'Fifty Shades of Grey' Movie Box Office News: Dominates Box Office, Rakes In $91 Million

"Fifty Shades of Grey" delivered a victory for Universal Pictures as it earned the No. 1 spot at the box office, raking in a total of $90.7 million since it premiered on Thursday.

Rentrak, which compiles ticketing data, said the $40-million erotic film capitalized on the Valentine's Day occasion on Saturday, attracting an audience that was 68 percent female.

It added that the movie based on a steamy best-selling novel had the second biggest February debut ever, coming after Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ," which debuted at $83.9 million in 2004, Entertainment Weekly reported.

Nick Carpou, the president of domestic distribution at Universal, said the sadomasochistic film was played in 3,646 theaters in North America – the largest release in history for an R-rated movie.

"Theater owners added in response to a clamor from their patrons," Carpou said over the weekend, according to the New York Times.

"Fifty Shades of Grey" likely got some help from the crowd celebrating Valentine's Day, with female fans apparently dragging along a lot of reluctant husbands and boyfriends to theaters.

The film's impressive performance at the box office created a wave of interest that pushed past reviewers, who gave the film terrible notices and called for a boycott.

Based on the erotic novel by E.L. James, "Fifty Shades of Grey" also took in an additional $158 million abroad. This developed even though the film was banned in Indonesia, Kenya, and Malaysia.

The film directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson earned twice as much as the "Kingsman: Secret Service," which took the No. 2 spot with $35.6 million. "The SpongeBob Movie" was at third spot.

"I never bought the argument that the sexual theme would keep people away. People are not that prudish anymore," said "Fifty Shades of Grey" producer Michael De Luca told the New York Times.

The response to the film, which is expected to spawn two sequels, could have a ricochet effect in Hollywood, which for decades has been operating under an assumption that sex — at least, the most blatant sort — is a multiplex poison.