Fifty Shades Darker (film) would be "more of a thriller." In July 2015, it was confirmed that singer Rita Ora would reprise her role, Mia Grey, in the sequel. On August 20, 2015, it was revealed by "Deadline" that James Foley was the front-runner to direct the sequel and third film "Fifty Shades Freed", while the studio was also eyeing other directors, including Rebecca Thomas, Mark Pellington, and Tanya Wexler, and talks with Foley had not yet begun. On November 12, 2015, TheWrap confirmed that Foley would direct both sequels, which would be shot back-to-back in 2016, with Michael De Luca and Brunetti returning
Fifty Shades Freed (film) night previews, down 2% from the $5.7 million taken in "Fifty Shades Darker" the previous year. It ended up making $38.6 million over the weekend, the lowest of the trilogy, but enough to take first place at the box office. The film grossed $10.8 million on Valentine's Day, the third-highest total for when the holiday fell on a weekday, behind "The Vow" ($11.6 million in 2012) and "Darker" ($11 million), and bringing its five-day gross to $56.1 million. In its second weekend, the film made $17.3 million, dropping 55.1% (a slightly better hold than the previous film) and finishing third,