今年最大的選角新聞當(dāng)屬《50度灰》電影改編的主角甄選，影片確認(rèn)由查理·漢納姆（《環(huán)太平洋》男主角）與達(dá)科塔·約翰遜（《龍虎少年隊》女配角）出演。小說粉絲們在推特和臉譜上反響熱烈，甚至部分粉絲發(fā)起請愿，請求不同的演員陣容出演。盡管如此我們敢斷言這些粉絲仍會在首映日去觀看這部電影。

　　The biggest casting news of the year may turn out to be the decision to put Charlie Hunnam (leading man in Pacific Rim )and Dakota Johnson (supporting actress in 21 Jump Street) into starring roles in the film adaptation of 50 Shades of Grey . Fans of the novel reacted passionately on Twitter and Facebook, and some even started a petition asking for　different actors to be cast. Yet we are betting those fans will still see the movie onopening day.

　　《50度灰》的票房大有可為。作者E.J. James的（同名）情色小說，講述一個億萬富翁與一個大學(xué)生之間的強度性愛糾葛，在全球銷量超過7000萬冊。如此規(guī)模的潛在觀眾是電影經(jīng)銷商夢寐以求想挖掘的資產(chǎn)。如果焦點電影公司制作出一部強勢電影，并精心組織好營銷活動，吸引小說的忠實粉絲，他們很可能最終贏得焦點公司空前的最大熱門。《斷背山》是另一部膾炙人口的性愛主題影片，是目前為止焦點公司的第一大片，全球票房高達(dá)令人印象深刻的1.781億美元。

　　50 Shades of Grey's box office potential is immense. Author E.L. James' steamy novel about an intense sexual relationship between a billionaire and a college

　　student has sold　more than 70 million copies worldwide. A builtin audience of that size is the kind of asset that film distributors dream of tapping into. If Focus cranks out a strong　film and orchestrates a marketing campaign that taps into obsessive fans of the novel, then they could end up with their biggest hit of all time. Brokeback Mountain, anothersexuallycharged film that had people buzzing, is currently Focus'1 hit to date with an impressive $178.1 million global haul.

　　值得注意的是，有爭議性的小說改編成電影并非總能帶來強勢的票房收入。以《美國精神病人》為例。2000年改編自布雷特·伊斯頓·埃利斯的暴力小說，在發(fā)布令人頂禮膜拜的DVD前，其全球票房總額令人失望，僅有3430萬美元?！睹绹癫∪恕返膯栴}仍可能是因為時機。小說最初于1991年出版，然而改編的劇本上映時爭議熱度已過。而《50度灰》在讀者的腦海中仍記憶猶新。對焦點公司來說重新煽起爭議的激情火焰并非什么難事，尤其是如果電影的初剪版本被貼上NC-17評級的標(biāo)簽。

　　It's worth noting that film adaptations of controversial books don't always lead to strong box office receipts. Take American Psycho , for instance. The 2000 adaptation of Bret　Easton Ellis' violent novel grossed a disappointing $34.3 million globally before reaching cult status on DVD. Yet the problem with American Psycho could have been timing. The　novel was originally published in 1991, so by the time the adaptation hit theaters the controversy had passed. 50 Shades is still very fresh in the minds of those who' ve read　it. It wouldn't be hard for Focus to fan the flames of controversy, especially if an initial cut of the film is slapped with an NC-17.

　　《50度灰》可能最終會吸引到像斯坦利·庫布里克的《大開眼戒》那樣同類型的觀眾群。斯坦利·庫布里克與巨星湯姆·克魯斯和妮可·基德曼的聯(lián)袂效應(yīng)，能刺激觀眾去觀看一場曖昧的性奇幻旅程，否則很可能會被忽略?！洞箝_眼戒》在全球范圍內(nèi)收益1.621億美元票房，其中5570萬美元來自北美票房。如果調(diào)整通貨膨脹，此片在北美大致收獲8740萬美元票房。焦點公司必定為如此高的數(shù)字感到欣喜。

　　Fifty Shades could end up tapping into the same audience that lined up for Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shu t. The combined power of Kubrick and stars Tom Cruise and Nicole
Kidman spurred patrons to catch a dark sexual odyssey that they probably would have skipped otherwise. Eyes Wide Shut　managed $162.1 million globally, $55.7 million of which came from North America. When adjusting for inflation, the North American haul would be roughly $87.4 million. Focus　would certainly be pleased with a figure that high.

　　大家也別忘記《魔力麥克》的成功例子。史蒂芬·索德伯格以慣?？量痰姆绞?，審視脫衣舞男的世界，并轉(zhuǎn)化成所有年齡段的女人必看的影片。結(jié)果是：1.607億美元的累計票房。有可能《50度灰》會走同一路線，成為下一個“女性之夜”電影。

　　Let's also not forget the success of Magic Mike . Steven Soderbergh's often-scathing look at the world of male strippers turned into a must-see for women of all ages. The　result: a $160.7 million global cume. It's possible that Fifty Shades could become the next big “Girls-Night” movie along the same lines.

　　或者還有《欲望都市》。由同名熱門HBO電視劇衍生的兩集電影合計全球收入超過7億美元，4.153億美元來自第一部電影。只要能抓住《欲望都市》一半的觀眾便可成為焦點公司的巨大勝利。

Or there's Sex and the City . The two theatrical releases spun off from thepopular HBO show combined for more than $700 million in global receipts,$415.3 million of which came　from the first film alone. Capturing even half of the SATC audience would be a huge victory for Focus.

　　8月發(fā)布日期表明焦點這一方的信心。他們顯然指望這部電影能成為暑期大片的逆襲之作。《50度灰》之類的電影可能非常受女性影迷的歡迎，她們會有所渴望，但卻并非巨資動作頂梁大片。8月檔通常被視為垃圾填埋場，但今非昔比，女性向電影如《幫助》和《大希望溫泉》——顯然比《50度灰》更健康有益的電影——最近在8月的表現(xiàn)都不錯。

　　The August release date indicates confidence on the part of Focus. They are clearly banking on the film to serve as counter-programming to summer blockbusters. A film like 50　Shades could do very well with females moviegoers who crave something other than big-budget action tentpoles. August used to be viewed as a dumping ground, but that's not the　case anymore. Female-skewing flicks such as The Help and Hope Springs --more wholesome efforts than 50 Shades, obviously--have recently performed well in August.