Fifty Shades of Grey (film) James' husband, Niall Leonard, was enlisted to write the script for the film's sequel. In the same month, at the 2015 Universal CinemaCon in Las Vegas, Universal announced the release dates of the sequels, with "Fifty Shades Darker" being released on February 10, 2017, and "Fifty Shades Freed" was released on February 9, 2018. However, the sequels did not see Sam Taylor-Johnson returning as director. On August 20, 2015, the U.S. "House of Cards" director James Foley was a frontrunner to direct the sequel. In November 2015, Universal Studios announced that both films will be shot back-to-back. A spoof version
Fifty Shades of Grey (film) Brazil, ($31.3 million), France ($29.5 million), and Spain ($22.6 million). "Fifty Shades of Grey" received generally negative reviews, with criticism of its acting, screenplay, and pacing; however, some critics noted it as an improvement over the book, and others praised the cinematography and set design. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 25% based on 261 reviews, with an average rating of 4.2/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "While creatively better endowed than its print counterpart, "Fifty Shades of Grey" is a less than satisfying experience on the screen." Metacritic gave the film a score of 46