Fifty Shades of Grey doesn't open until Thursday night, but it is pacing to become one of Fandango's top five advance ticket-sellers in the company's 15-year history, joining the elite domain of the Harry Potter, Hunger Games and Twilight franchise movies, which currently dominate the list. Take a look at Fandango's top five pre-sellers, at the same point in their sales cycles, two days before release date.

Here's what Fandango Chief Correspondent Dave Karger had to say about the news in a statement.

"The worldwide phenomenon that is Fifty Shades of Grey is resulting in more buzz for an adult-skewing film than I've seen in many years. It's enticing fans who are looking for an exciting girls' night out, as well as a date night for Valentine's weekend."

Fifty Shades of Grey is also on track to break more Fandango ticket sales records as the company's top seller among all films released during Valentine's Day, beating, respectively, Valentine's Day (2010), Safe Haven (2013), About Last Night (2014) and The Vow (2012), the #1 February pre-seller, topping The Lego Movie (2014) and the biggest R-rated ticket-seller in the company's history. Fifty Shades of Grey also tops Fandango's Fanticipation movie buzz indicator, scoring an astounding 98 out of 100 points for its opening weekend, while Kingsman: The Secret Service is reaping an action-packed 80 points.

According to a survey of more than 1,000 Fifty Shades of Grey moviegoers on Fandango:

  • 85% are already looking forward to the film adaptations of E.L. James' other books;
  • - 79% have read at least one of the novels;
  • - 78% are excited that Fifty Shades was directed by a woman (Sam Taylor-Johnson);
  • - 72% indicate the movie will be part of their Valentine's celebration plans;
  • - 40% will see the film with a significant other or a date; 33% will see it with a group of friends;
  • - Among the 33% who said they will see it with a group, 88% are making it part of a girls' night out.

Fandango is reporting hundreds of sold-out Fifty Shades showtimes across the country, while theater owners are continually adding new screens and posting new showtimes on Fandango to meet the fan demand.

About Fandango's Fanticipation

Known for having its finger on the pulse of moviegoers, Fandango's movie buzz indicator, Fanticipation, provides statistical insight into the movies fans are planning to see in a given weekend. Fanticipation scores (based on a 1 to 100-point scale) are calculated via an algorithm of Fandango's advance ticket sales, website and mobile traffic, and social media engagement. Fanticipation is not intended as a forecast of the weekend box office; it is a snapshot of movie fan sentiment.