Are you ready for Mr Grey? (trailer)

But considering the book on which the film is based is one of the best-selling books of all time, there must be a hungry audience that wants to see it before the release date.

Luckily, on Thursday at the first Girlfriends’ Getaway event for 2015, audiences will of course preview the lusty romance film. The film has recorded the highest number of pre-ticket sales ever for a Girlfriends’ Getaway event, resulting in additional cinemas being opened for the event.

As a special spoil for the pre-screenings, Ster-Kinekor has also opened bookings for the film in its Cine Prestige theatres at The Zone, Sandton and Cradlestone in Johannesburg, The Grove in Pretoria, Gateway in Durban and Cavendish in Cape Town.

If you’re clueless about the book, the basic story is as follows: When Anastasia Steele, a literature student, goes to interview the wealthy Christian Grey, as a favour to her roommate Kate Kavanagh, she encounters a beautiful and brilliant, yet somewhat intimidating man.

Ana is startled into realising she finds herself desperate to get close to him. In spite of all the embellishments of success, Grey is consumed by the need to control everything.

The film is directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson. Since its release, the Fifty Shades trilogy has been translated into 51 languages worldwide and sold more than 100 million copies in e-book and print.