Grey: Latest Fifty Shades of Grey book sells 1m copies in a week despite critical reception

The book was widely panned by critics

A woman reads a copy of E.L James's new book 'Grey: Fifty Shades of Grey as Told by Christian' as she waits in a line to get the book signed by the author at the Barnes and Noble store on Fifth Avenue in New York (JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)

Defying poor reviews, over 1 million copies of the latest instalment in the Fifty Shades of Grey series have flown off shelves in the week since it was released.

Grey: Fifty Shades of Grey as Told by Christian retells the original story from the infamously controlling businessman’s perspective.

Author E. L. James released the novel on the BDSM-loving character’s birthday.

Since then, 1.1million copies of the novel have been sold across paperback, eBook and audio platforms, according to publisher Vintage Anchor.

“This is an astonishing number of books to sell over a weekend and speaks to the engagement and passion readers have for the Fifty Shades books,” Anne Messitte, Vintage’s publisher, said according to Entertainment Weekly.

“Christian’s side of the story is proving to be irresistible.”

Prior to the release, Sara Nelson, Amazon’s editorial director, revealed that it was the highest pre-order of the year, Reuters reported.

However, the public’s reaction is yet to become clear, after the book was widely panned by critics.

The Independent’s art correspondent Nick Clark said the book as a whole was similar to the sex scenes: “drawn out, racy, frequently painful and unintentionally hilarious", while The Telegraph said it was "written with the personality of a blow-up doll."

But if the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy is anything to go by, it’s likely to be a huge hit. One of the most successful publications of all time, over 125 million copies of the trilogy have been sold worldwide.

The film adaptation of the book was also a runaway hit, and is the most successful 18-rate film ever made, according to The Telegraph.