Netflix’s Billion-Dollar Steamy Trilogy Exits in 2026 — Stream It While You Still Can
Netflix is losing a billion-dollar NSFW juggernaut next month: the Fifty Shades trilogy exits in January 2026. Released from 2015 to 2018, the box office smash was slammed by critics for its scripts and performances—stream it before it’s gone.
Heads up if you were saving these for a rainy day: Netflix is about to lose the Fifty Shades trilogy. Yes, that trilogy. The billion-dollar, NSFW mega-hit is exiting the service on January 1, 2026. So if you were planning a rewatch party, the clock is officially ticking.
What’s leaving, and when
All three films in the series are on the way out: Fifty Shades of Grey (2015), Fifty Shades Darker (2017), and Fifty Shades Freed (2018). Per What’s on Netflix, they all roll off Netflix on January 1, 2026.
The strange case of a franchise everyone roasted that made a fortune
Financially, these movies were a juggernaut. Critically, not so much. The trilogy earned a combined $1.325 billion worldwide against about $150 million in total production costs. Meanwhile, reviews were rough, often calling out the scripts and performances. The audience scores are a little friendlier than the critics, but not by much.
- Fifty Shades of Grey (2015) - Budget: $40 million; Worldwide gross: $569.7 million; Rotten Tomatoes: 25% Tomatometer, 41% Audience Score
- Fifty Shades Darker (2017) - Budget: $55 million; Worldwide gross: $381 million; Rotten Tomatoes: 11% Tomatometer, 48% Audience Score
- Fifty Shades Freed (2018) - Budget: $55 million; Worldwide gross: $372 million; Rotten Tomatoes: 11% Tomatometer, 38% Audience Score
Worth noting: Darker and Freed are tied at 11% with critics, but Darker pulls the highest audience score of the three. Go figure.
What these movies are actually about
At the core, it’s the push-pull relationship between literature student Anastasia Steele and extremely wealthy enigma Christian Grey. Power dynamics, boundaries, desire, drama. If you somehow missed the cultural wave the first time, that’s the elevator pitch.
Who made them
The films are based on E.L. James’s best-selling novels and were released by Universal Pictures. Sam Taylor-Johnson directed the first movie from a script by Kelly Marcel. James Foley took over for the sequels, with Niall Leonard handling the screenplays. Producers Michael De Luca, E.L. James, and Dana Brunetti were on board for all three, with Marcus Viscidi joining the producing team for parts two and three. And yes, that moody sweep you remember is Danny Elfman, who scored the entire trilogy.
Who’s in them
Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan headline as Anastasia and Christian. The supporting bench is stacked: Eloise Mumford, Victor Rasuk, Luke Grimes, Marcia Gay Harden, Rita Ora, Max Martini, Andrew Airlie, Jennifer Ehle, and Dylan Neal round things out.
The bottom line
Whether you loved them, hate-watched them, or just want to understand the pop-culture moment, you’ve got until January 1, 2026 to stream the entire Fifty Shades trilogy on Netflix. After that, you’ll have to go hunting elsewhere.