Fifty Shades of Grey tops US box office in its opening weekend

Fifty Shades of Grey screen adaptation has topped the North American box offices this weekend with an estimated $81.7 million.

It was the second-highest February debut ever, behind The Passion of the Christ‘s $83.9 million opening in 2004.

Based on E.L. James’ best-selling novel, Fifty Shades of Grey is directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson and stars Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson.

According to Universal Pictures, North American audiences were 68% female.

The film’s takings were more than double those of its nearest box office rival, Kingsman: The Secret Service, which earned $35.6 million, according to studio estimates.

Around the world, Fifty Shades of Grey took an estimated $158 million from 58 countries.

E.L. James’s trilogy of Fifty Shades books have reportedly sold more than 100 million copies worldwide and been translated into more than 50 languages.

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water came third on the box office chart with $30.5 million in its second weekend on release.

Rounding out the top five were the Oscar-nominated American Sniper with $16.4 million, and sci-fi fantasy Jupiter Ascending with $9.4 million.