Cinemas around the UK have taken record advance bookings for Disney film High School Musical 3.
Three weeks ahead of its release, tickets to the value of more than £500,000 have been booked in advance, according to Walt Disney Pictures.
Odeon, the UK's largest cinema chain, said it had sold £245,205 in advance tickets, beating the record set by Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire.
The UK premiere for High School Musical 3 takes place on Tuesday.
Worldwide hit
Stars of the franchise, including Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens, are set to attend the London gala.
"We are bracing ourselves for a huge first week run"
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 added.
Odeon's advance ticket sales eclipsed the record set by the fourth Harry Potter film in 2005, which had taken £227,000 at the same stage of booking.
High School Musical 3, which is the first cinematic outing in the series, is due to open across the UK on 22 October.
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 18.6m in the US.
Work has already begun on High School Musical 4.
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