Fandango: ‘Rogue One’ Ranks as Company’s Top Pre-Seller of 2016, #2 of All Time

Their official press release:

LOS ANGELES – DECEMBER 15, 2016 –  “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” voted by Fandango fans as 2016’s most anticipated movie, opens tonight with a stellar 99 points at the top of Fandango’s movie buzz indicator Fanticipation.

“Rogue One” now ranks as Fandango’s top advance ticket-seller of 2016, and as Fandango’s second biggest preseller of all time, right behind “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” The movie represents more than 90% of the weekend’s ticket sales.

“Fueled by the incredible success of last year’s ‘The Force Awakens,’ ‘Star Wars’ fans have helped drive ‘Rogue One’ to become the year’s top advance ticket seller at Fandango,” says Fandango Managing Editor Erik Davis.  “Its grittier tone, diverse ensemble and the return of the series’ most iconic villain, Darth Vader, are all major factors in what’s shaping up to be a major force at the box office.”

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

95% are already planning to see next year’s “Star Wars: Episode VIII.”
88% of fans have seen all of the “Star Wars” movies.
74% are excited to see a darker take on a “Star Wars” story.
62% will see “Rogue One” more than once in the theater.

Timed to the release of “Rogue One,” Fandango has created a “’Rogue One’ Ultimate Trailer, which can be found here.

“Collateral Beauty,” also opens this weekend and is outpacing Will Smith’s previous December drama, “Concussion” at the same point in the sales cycle, while the award-winning “La La Land,” expanding to roughly 200 screens this weekend, continues to garner the top per-screen-average sales of any limited release on Fandango this year.

About 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. Fandango is the ultimate digital network for all things movies, reaching more than 60 million unique visitors per month across its portfolio of digital properties, according to comScore.