With all the hype surrounding Disney's live-action remake of "Beauty and the Beast," it should come as no surprise that the film's advance ticket sales are blowing up.

Tickets only went on sale on Monday, Jan. 30, but Fandango reports they're on pace to surpass the pre-sales of "Finding Dory." That would be quite a feat. The "Finding Nemo" sequel opened to $135 million, according to Box Office Mojo, making it the highest-grossing North American debut of all time for an animated film.

"Beauty and the Beast" might not qualify in the same category as "Finding Dory," but the sales are impressive nonetheless. Fandango described its early pre-sales as "unstoppable" and compared them to the numbers the online ticket-seller usually see for superhero flicks, Deadline reports. It's clear that fans are eager to see the film's stars, including Emma Watson and Dan Stevens, take on the iconic "tale as old as time."

Expect crowded theaters when "Beauty and the Beast" opens on March 17.

[via: Deadline]