by CJ Dee
On the night Fifty Shades of Grey came out, I had a ticket to see a little movie about arguably the smartest man on the planet. I grabbed a meal at a nearby restaurant and headed to my 6.40 session afterwards. At first I thought there must have been a rude person convention because there were hordes of women blocking the thoroughfares while chattering away.
I lined up with my ticket behind two such hordes and was surprised to see the first walking out after having presented their tickets. It was only when the second approached and I was near enough to hear that it all dawned on me. The lovely yet clearly flustered female usher said ‘I’m sorry, but because the 7pm Fifty Shades of Grey session is sold out we can’t let anyone in just yet. It would crowd the foyers for other guests.’
Ahhh. The uproarious nonsense was for Fifty Shades of Grey. It was all dawning on me.
I haven’t read the novels Fifty Shades of Grey is based on. I have no interest in doing so. I might go to see the movie if there is nothing else on that week in the name of research for a review. However, through the wonder that is the internet, I have a basic understanding of several key points to the film. That’s where the next part in the story is fun.
The following week I treated myself to Gold Class for Kingsman: The Secret Service. After I had been seated in the Gold Class lounge a large group of middle aged women were shown in and I overheard the usher mentioning their film. Yep, you guessed it. Fifty Shades of Grey.
After sitting and reading for a while, I heard a male voice addressing the group of women. I glanced up and what I saw was a positively genius example of marketing strategy. The usher who was leading the women to their film was a young, reasonably attractive male. That’s not dreadfully unusual and not something that would classify as marketing in itself. But this young man was not dressed in the usual black usher uniform. No, dear reader, this young man was clad in something far more interesting and relevant.
A grey tailored suit.
Bravo, Village. Bravo.
