《50度灰》电影改编有望在北美市场实现可观利润

　　今年最大的选角新闻当属《50度灰》电影改编的主角甄选，影片确认由查理·汉纳姆（《环太平洋》男主角）与达科塔·约翰逊（《龙虎少年队》女配角）出演。小说粉丝们在推特和脸谱上反响热烈，甚至部分粉丝发起请愿，请求不同的演员阵容出演。尽管如此我们敢断言这些粉丝仍会在首映日去观看这部电影。

　　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 on opening day.

　　《50度灰》的票房大有可为。作者E.J. James的（同名）情色小说，讲述一个亿万富翁与一个大学生之间的强度性爱纠葛，在全球销量超过7000万册。如此规模的潜在观众是电影经销商梦寐以求想挖掘的资产。如果焦点电影公司制作出一部强势电影，并精心组织好营销活动，吸引小说的忠实粉丝，他们很可能最终赢得焦点公司空前的最大热门。《断背山》是另一部脍炙人口的性爱主题影片，是目前为止焦点公司的第一大片，全球票房高达令人印象深刻的1.781亿美元。

　　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， another sexually-charged 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，有争议性的小说改编成电影并非总能带来强势的票房收入。以《美国精神病人》为例。2000年改编自布雷特·伊斯顿·埃利斯的暴力小说，在发布令人顶礼膜拜的DVD前，其全球票房总额令人失望，仅有3430万美元。《美国精神病人》的问题仍可能是因为时机。小说最初于1991年出版，然而改编的剧本上映时争议热度已过。而《50度灰》在读者的脑海中仍记忆犹新。对焦点公司来说重新煽起争议的激情火焰并非什么难事，尤其是如果电影的初剪版本被贴上NC-17评级的标签。

　　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》可能最终会吸引到像斯坦利·库布里克的《大开眼戒》那样同类型的观众群。斯坦利·库布里克与巨星汤姆·克鲁斯和妮可·基德曼的联袂效应，能刺激观众去观看一场暧昧的性奇幻旅程，否则很可能会被忽略。《大开眼戒》在全球范围内收益1.621亿美元票房，其中5570万美元来自北美票房。如果调整通货膨胀，此片在北美大致收获8740万美元票房。焦点公司必定为如此高的数字感到欣喜。

　　Fifty Shades could end up tapping into the same audience that lined up for Stanley Kubrick‘s Eyes Wide Shut. 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.

　　大家也别忘记《魔力麦克》的成功例子。史蒂芬·索德伯格以惯常苛刻的方式，审视脱衣舞男的世界，并转化成所有年龄段的女人必看的影片。结果是：1.607亿美元的累计票房。有可能《50度灰》会走同一路线，成为下一个“女性之夜”电影。

　　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.

　　或者还有《欲望都市》。由同名热门HBO电视剧衍生的两集电影合计全球收入超过7亿美元，4.153亿美元来自第一部电影。只要能抓住《欲望都市》一半的观众便可成为焦点公司的巨大胜利。

　　Or there‘s Sex and the City. The two theatrical releases spun off from the popular 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月发布日期表明焦点这一方的信心。他们显然指望这部电影能成为暑期大片的逆袭之作。《50度灰》之类的电影可能非常受女性影迷的欢迎，她们会有所渴望，但却并非巨资动作顶梁大片。8月档通常被视为垃圾填埋场，但今非昔比，女性向电影如《帮助》和《大希望温泉》——显然比《50度灰》更健康有益的电影——最近在8月的表现都不错。

　　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.

　　菲尔·康崔诺