So then: anyone out there excited by the arrival of Twilight: New Moon at the end of the week yet? It seems that if you are, you're not in the minority at the moment, as over in the US, movie ticket selling service Fandango is reporting staggering numbers of pre-booked ticket order have already been placed.

In spite of the fact that there are still several days to go until the film opens, Fandango reports that Twilight: New Moon has become the top-selling pre-release ever at Fandango, having now overtaken Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith to claim the top spot. Is Twilight really Star Wars-big among fans of the novels? Quite possibly so.

The rest of the top five is rounded out by Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince in third, The Dark Knight fourth, and the original Twilight in fifth. There are already reports that many cinemas have sold out their opening midnight screenings of New Moon, and Fandango reports that the film also accounts for 86% of weekly ticket sales right now.

It's fair to predict that Twilight: New Moon is going to have a staggering opening weekend. Summit Entertainment will, no doubt, be equally intrigued by its second weekend performance, however, to see just how much New Moon is powered by its fanbase, and just how many people will turn out in its second weekend.

You can find Fandango here.