Fifty Shades of Black

Fifty Shades of Black

Company type	Film
Industry	Film industry
Founded	2016
Founder	Michael Tiddes, Marlon Wayans (director, co-writer, co-producer)
Headquarters	Los Angeles , United States
Products	Film

Fifty Shades of Black is a 2016 American slapstick romantic comedy directed by Michael Tiddes, featuring Marlon Wayans who also co-wrote and co-produced the film. This movie serves as a parody of the 2015 erotic romantic drama Fifty Shades of Grey. The cast includes Kali Hawk, Affion Crockett, Jane Seymour, Andrew Bachelor, Florence Henderson, Jenny Zigrino, Fred Willard, and Mike Epps.

The film was released on January 29, 2016, and despite overwhelmingly negative critical reception, it achieved commercial success by earning $22 million globally against a $5 million production budget. Notably, this was the last film appearance of Florence Henderson before her passing in November 2016.

Plot

Christian Black introduces Hannah Steale, a reserved college student, to the concept of "romance" after she conducts an interview with him for her university newspaper. Their unusual relationship unfolds amid Christian’s shortcomings as a romantic partner and the humorous interference from his adoptive mother Claire, his well-endowed brother Eli, and Hannah's highly sexualized roommate Kateesha.

Production

On June 3, 2015, Open Road Films secured the US distribution rights for $5 million. Principal photography commenced on August 11, 2015, in Los Angeles.

Release

The film debuted in North America on January 29, 2016, coinciding with releases such as Kung Fu Panda 3 and The Finest Hours. Industry forecasts estimated an opening weekend gross between $10 and $11 million across 2,075 theaters. It earned $275,000 during Thursday night previews, $2.3 million on its initial day, and totaled $5.9 million over the weekend, placing tenth at the box office. The home media release on DVD and Blu-ray occurred on April 19, 2016.

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie holds a mere 4% approval rating from 46 critics with an average rating of 2.79/10. The critical consensus describes it as "wildly erratic even for a spoof movie," delivering fewer laughs than the unintentionally humorous original it mocks. On Metacritic, it received a score of 28 out of 100 based on reviews from 11 critics, indicating generally unfavorable feedback. Audience surveys by CinemaScore assigned it a grade of "C."

Critic Mark Kermode dismissed the film as another feeble parody comparable to titles like Scary Movie and Epic Movie. Austin-based critic Korey Coleman called for an end to Marlon Wayans' spoof films and ranked it among the worst movies of 2016 alongside Yoga Hosers.

Kermode criticized the comedic approach for relying heavily on overused racial and cultural stereotypes alongside unfunny references to other films. J.R. Jones denounced its exaggerated racial caricatures and misogynistic humor, pointing out persistent insults targeting Hawk’s character as well as jokes about sexual assault. Henry Barnes described the film as lacking genuine humor, with its comedy drifting into offensive gross-out gags and blaxploitation clichés.

Despite these critiques, Jones commended the film’s meticulous attention to detail, particularly praising its accurate replication of costumes and set designs, along with Kali Hawk’s convincing portrayal of Dakota Johnson’s character.

Accolades

Award	Category	Nominees	Outcome
Golden Trailer Awards	Best Comedy	"Spanked"	Template:Nom
	Golden Fleece TV Spot	"Shadiest"	Template:Won
		"Book Club"	Template:Nom
Golden Raspberry Awards	Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-off or Sequel	Fifty Shades of Black	Template:Nom
	Worst Supporting Actress	Jane Seymour	Template:Nom

See also

• List of black films of the 2010s