“The Fault in Our Stars” has broken the Fandango record for the biggest pre-selling love story in the company's 14-year history, and is also the ticket service's biggest pre-selling drama of the year, Fandango said, according to TheWrap.
“The Vow,” a 2012 romantic drama starring Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams, previously held the record in the romantic drama category. It grossed $41.2 million domestically during its opening weekend.
The ticket service did not disclose actual pre-sales figures for either film to TheWrap.
Adapted from John Green's novel of the same name by “Spectacular Now” writers Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, “Fault” stars Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort as two teens who meet at a cancer support group and fall in love.
Fox 2000's tearjerker opens on Friday against Warner Bros. sci-fi action movie “Edge of Tomorrow,” which stars Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt.
If the social media buzz surrounding “Fault” is any indication of it's success, the $12 million teen romance is expected to be a hit at the box office, while $178 million “Edge of Tomorrow” could be the summer's first big-budget bomb. Early tracking predicted a $25 million to $30 million domestic debut.
According to a survey of more than 1,000 ticket buyers, the “Fault” is the most highly-anticipated release of the weekend, with 60 percent of those who purchased advanced tickets planning on heading to theaters for Thursday night showings and 95 percent saying they have been looking forward to the release. Eighty-one percent say they have read Green's novel and 77 percent saw “Divergent,” starring Woodley and Elgort as siblings, which opened to $54.6 million domestically.
The Fandango survey also suggests Woodley's star is rising, as 64 percent picked her as a motivating factor in buying a ticket.
“What's so unique about Shailene is how unaffected she is,” Fandango chief correspondent Dave Karger told TheWrap. “There's nothing pre-packaged or rehearsed about her. That makes her not only an excellent naturalistic actress, but it also creates an aura of relatability for her growing legions of mostly young female fans.”
“She's already starred in two of Fandango's top-selling films, ‘Divergent’ and ‘The Fault in Our Stars,’ and I'm sure she'll be an Oscar nominee before too long,” Karger added.
