The Latest 'Harry Potter' Surpasses 'Star Wars' as the #3 Advance Ticket-Seller in Fandango History

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 18, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- With only a few hours before its midnight premiere tonight, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1" has already leaped over previous record-holders to become the top "Harry Potter" advance ticket-seller in Fandango's ten-year history, and the overall third best pre-seller in company history.

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The Top 5 Advance Ticket-Sellers on Fandango are now as follows:

1. "The Twilight Saga: New Moon"
2. "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse "
3. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1"
4. "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith"
5. "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince"

The latest "Harry Potter" adventure currently represents 97% of today's ticket sales on Fandango, the nation's leading movie ticketing destination.

More than 3,000 showtimes for the seventh "Harry Potter" adventure are already sold out in cities and towns across the country, from Horseheads, New York to Hilo, Hawaii. To meet the fan demand, the nation's theater owners are posting additional showtimes throughout the night.

"In November 2001, 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone' set the initial benchmark for an advance ticket-buying blockbuster on Fandango," says Fandango Chief Operating Officer Rick Butler. "As the audiences matured, so did the franchise's storylines. It's heartening to see that this series has not lost its ability to captivate audiences nearly a decade later."

According to this week's survey of more than 1,000 "Potter" ticket-buyers on Fandango:

• 98% plan to see "Part 2" on the big screen next summer.
• 94% said the darker elements increased their interest in the movie.
• 92% are excited to see the "Potter" trio leave Hogwarts and head out on the road.

Fandango spokespeople will be available late tonight at AMC CityWalk Stadium in Universal City, CA and Regal Cinemas L.A. Live Stadium in downtown Los Angeles.  Please contact Harry Medved (310-954-0461; [email protected]) or Melinda Petrow (310-954-0278, ext. 231;  [email protected]) to schedule an interview.

About Fandango

One of the Web's top movie and entertainment destinations, Fandango sells tickets to more than 16,000 screens. Fandango entertains and informs consumers with reviews, commentary and trailers, and offers the ability to quickly select a film, plan where and when to see it, and conveniently buy tickets in advance. Fandango is available at www.fandango.com, 1-800-FANDANGO and via your wireless mobile device at mobile.fandango.com. Fandango is a unit of Comcast Interactive Media.

Fandango theater partners include the nation's leading exhibitors: AMC Theatres, Carmike Cinemas, Century Theatres, Cinemark Theatres, Edwards Theatres, Regal Cinemas and United Artists Theatres, as well as American Cinematheque, Brenden Theatres, CineArts Theatres, Cinebarre, Cobb Theatres, Hollywood Theatres, IMAX, Kerasotes Theatres, Premiere Theatres, R/C Theatres, Wehrenberg Theatres and Winchester Theatres.

SOURCE Fandango