New Moon sets pre-sales record

Four days prior to release, “New Moon” is the biggest pre-sales title in the 10-year history of ticket-selling site Fandango.   A release for the company indicates New Moon broke the record as of Saturday night.

The new Top 5 Advance Ticket-Sellers on Fandango (as of November 15, 2009) are as follows:

1. New Moon (2009)

2. Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005)

3. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)

4. The Dark Knight (2008)
5. Twilight (2008)

New Moon currently accounts for 86% of ticket sales at Fandango.com.

“For many fans, it’s clearly the year’s most anticipated film event,” said Fandango Chief Operating Officer Rick Butler in a release. “Ever since tickets went on sale on August 31, it’s been among our top five weekly ticket-sellers, as New Moon has a strong pull on audiences. We’re seeing a higher-than-usual number of tickets per transaction for this film, suggesting that moviegoers will show up en masse at theaters this weekend with their friends and family.”

A survey of Fandango users indicates that 10 percent of ticket buyers intend to show up to the film in costume.

Other information from the survey:

* 98% say the action in New Moon looks better than the action in Twilight.

* 72% plan to see the movie with a group of three friends or more.

* 52% of survey respondents say they dream about vampires.

* 22% are mothers and daughters planning to see New Moon together.

* 10% of fans plan to show up at the theater on Thursday night in costume, dressed as characters from the saga.