'Black Panther' has one of the highest ticket presale rates of all time

Who's ready for Black Panther to shatter every major movie record? The superhero blockbuster is finally here, and as U.S. theaters prep for the first screenings, Black Panther boasts the highest presale rates of any movie besides the three most recent Star Wars stories.

Black Panther is Fandango's fourth-highest presale after The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and Rogue One:

1.    Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) 2.    Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) 3.    Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) 4.    Black Panther (2018) 5.    The Hunger Games (2012)

And not that it matters (it does though), but none of these movies center on white men.

Before hitting the U.S., Black Panther opened in 17 countries. It was the highest-grossing single day of 2018 at the U.K. box office. and opened at #1 in all Asian film markets (including South Korea during the Olympics). It also marked the biggest opening day release in February in Malaysia, Thailand, the Phillippines, and Indonesia. In most markets, Black Panther is pacing ahead of Doctor Strange, Ant-Man, and Guardians of the Galaxy.

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That makes Black Panther the highest MCU or superhero presale period, outselling Captain America: Civil War and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in 2016. It outsold another February blockbuster, Deadpool, and The Hunger Games and Beauty and the Beast, which were the highest Q1 presales prior to this.

“The excitement is palpable,” says Fandango Managing Editor Erik Davis. “Along with its groundbreaking ensemble cast, Marvel's record-shattering film has immense depth, heart, and a soulfulness that sets it apart from all the superhero movies that have come before it."

According to Fandango, 90 percent of surveyed users are excited for Black Panther's female characters, and 61 percent are already thinking about seeing the movie a second time — before they've even seen it once.

Black Panther is — we've been waiting to write this — now in theaters.