Fifty Shades of Grey” is not only heating up screens across North America, but lighting a fire under its competition as well.

The Universal drama opened to $30.2 million on Friday on its way to a projected, record-breaking $76 million long weekend. If estimates hold, the R-rated pic will easily dominate the previous Presidents Day weekend record holder, “Valentine’s Day,” for the best showing ever for the holiday. Garry Marshall’s “Valentine’s Day” opened to $63.1 million in 2010.

The erotic romance could also break the current Valentine’s Day box office record, which was also set, appropriately enough, by “Valentine’s Day” with $23.4 million.

Early Friday estimates had pegged the film for an $85 million long weekend debut after a record-setting Thursday-night launch of $8.6 million — overtaking “Fast & Furious 6″ as Universal’s highest-grossing latenight preview of all time.
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