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By The Numbers

Chocolate is more expensive. Everything is terrible.

Tony Wagner Feb 13, 2015
100 lots

How many lots the city of Newark, New Jersey, is selling for $1,000 a piece to couples of any sexual orientation as part of a special Valentine’s Day sale. As reported by NJ.com, the loving land owners must agree to build a home and live on their new plots. 

54 percent

While only 20 percent of “Fifty Shades of Grey” readers were male, 54 percent of buyers of a “Shades”-themed teddy bear are men. Some say merchandising from the film helps transform subjects that were once taboo into marketable commodities. And pre-ticket sales are doing well, also. See our “grey”-shaded chart below:

20 percent

Speaking of “Fifty Shades of Grey”: When details of the film were being disrobed (sorry), some were titillated by reports that a fifth of the film would be made up of sex scenes. That may be unusual for the film industry, but as Quartz points out, its kind of old news for television.

$2.2 billion

Last “Grey” matter: That’s Christian Grey’s estimated net worth, as calculated by Forbes. The fictional billionaire comes to the screen this weekend with the adaptation of “Fifty Shades of Grey,” and Bloomberg broke down the cost of the suits, cars, cuff links, business cards, art, hotels and sexy furniture were on display.

May 10

Mother’s Day, the day when Google searches for flowers are actually higher than on Valentine’s D ay, according to the Pew Research Center.

$700 million

How much Americans are likely to spend on Valentine’s Day … for Fido. We really do love our pets. Check out Valentine’s Day facts over at Money, and learn the names of the mid-1800s entrepreneurs who popularized the holiday in the mid-1800s. One was a Cadbury, of chocolate fame. 

$2,921.05

Last month’s price-per-ton for cocoa. As reported by the NY Times, that’s higher than last year, partly due to greater global demand for dark chocolate, especially in Asia. So be prepared to spend more on sweets for your sweet.

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