FIFTY SHADES DARKER EARNS AN R RATING FOR ALL THE NAUGHTY REASONS YOU’D IMAGINE

Film ratings are important. A lot of the time they're a good way to be sure that you avoid subjecting your children to content that might not be appropriate for them. Other times they work out as a great way to be sure that a movie has exactly the sort of content you're looking for. You probably could have guessed that the sequel to Fifty Shades of Grey was going to end up with an R-rating. You would have guessed correctly.

Of course, the real fun part when looking at ratings these days is looking at the description that accompanies the letter. The description of why Fifty Shades Darker received an R-rating, as reported by ComingSoon, is as fun as we would expect, "strong erotic sexual content, some graphic nudity, and language." If anything, this is something of a step back from the description of Fifty Shades of Grey. The rating description for that one included the phrase "some unusual behavior" which in the case of the bondage focused franchise would be saying something. It would appear that what was once "unusual" is now simply "erotic." Hooray for progress.

The second entry in the trilogy that started life as Twilight fan fiction, and I still can't believe I'm not making that up, will be hitting theaters in February of next year. Just in time for Valentine's Day, which is perfect if your definition of romance is people who have no idea how BDSM relationships actually work. Announcing that there will be sex and nudity in Fifty Shades Darker is probably the least surprising news we'll see all week, but on the off-chance you though they might tame things down in the sequel, that would appear to be unlikely.

If there's anything of note here, it's that apparently Fifty Shades Darkerwill reportedly include male nudity as well as female nudity. This is only fair. One actor should not be shouldering the most vulnerable parts of the film all by herself. If this is about a relationship, then Jamie Dornan should be as naked asDakota Johnson.

Fifty Shades of Grey was one of the highest grossing films of 2015. As such, we can likely expect that the sequel will follow suit, at least to some extent. The title of the new film is apparently literal as Fifty Shades Darker is being described as an "erotic thriller" as opposed to simply a drama. Whether this change in tone will have a profound impact on the box office remains to be seen. It could just as easily turn Darker into an even bigger hit than its predecessor.