Bad press has dogged Fifty Shades of Grey since the book’s publication right on through the movie’s press tour.

We can conjecture for days about all the sexist (and feminist) why, but the fact remains that director Sam Taylor-Johnson’s adaptation is tracking to open at a whopping $60 million. Box-office analysts have observed that, despite the Valentine’s Day weekend release, women will head to the theaters in groups of other women like they did with the Sex in the City movies. A week ahead of its premiere on February 13, the movie has already become Fandango’s fast-selling R-rated movie ever.

Novelist E.L. James’ romance is proving exceptionally popular in the South in states like Mississippi, Arkansas, West Virginia, Kentucky and Alabama, where ticket sales are booming. North Dakota is another state where Universal will make 50 stacks of cash by appealing to female moviegoers.

[via NY Times]