U.K. loves 'High School Musical,' too

Friday, Oct. 3

BBC News reports that "tickets to the value of more than £500,000" ($882,200) for "High School Musical 3: Senior Year" have been booked in advance, according to Walt Disney Pictures. Odeon, the UK's largest cinema chain, said it had sold £245,205 ($432,000) in advance tickets, beating the record set by "Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire."

The UK premiere for "High School Musical 3" is Tuesday. It's public release there is Oct. 22; it's due out Oct. 24 here in the States.

Rupert Gavin, chief executive of the Odeon cinema chain, called it a "phenomenal and record-breaking start" for the movie's UK run.

"Our cinemas have been inundated with calls to pre-book tickets for what could be the year's biggest kids and teen audience movie.

"With schools breaking up for half-term just as 'High School Musical 3' opens, we are bracing ourselves for a huge first week run," he told BBC News.

The fourth Harry Potter film in 2005 took in £227,000 at the same stage of booking.

The original TV movie took the US by storm when it appeared on the Disney channel in January 2006. It went on to become a worldwide hit. The sequel shattered cable TV records last summer, with a premiere watched by 18.6 million in the United States.

Work has already begun on "High School Musical 4."