Hannah Montana movie is a sellout

Thousands of Americans will go to bed Friday night without their Hannah Montana.

Tickets for the highly anticipated 3-D concert film, Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert, which opens Friday, are almost as hard to come by as actual concert tickets were for the 2007 sold-out tour of the then 14-year-old Miley Ray Cyrus.

"Over a thousand showtimes are already sold out across the country," said Harry Medved of the online ticket agency Fandango. He said the film has been a top-seller since tickets went on sale on Dec. 1, and is the best-selling concert film in Fandango's seven-year history.

"You'll have a tough time seeing the movie on opening night Friday or Saturday in a major metropolitan area," he said.

A scan of Philadelphia-area theaters bears testimony to the sad truth: As of this afternoon, the UA King of Prussia Stadium 16 had sold out Friday's eight showtimes, except for the 8:40 a.m. and 11:50 p.m. Only the later time is available on Saturday.

Things are no better in South Jersey. The AMC Loews Cherry Hill had sold out four out of its six Friday shows and six of eight on Saturday.

"Across the board demandad has been exceptional," said AMC Entertainment spokesperson Melanie Bell, who says Hannah Montana will be shown at 100 AMC theaters nationwide. "Some theaters have responded by adding showtimes, some as early as 8 a.m."

The Hannah Montana craze has become almost Beatlemaniacal in intensity and proportions.

Once safely ensconced on the Disney Channel as a popular TV star, Miley Cyrus' name caught fire last year when she sold out every one of her 55 concerts in minutes.

According to Pollstar, Miley, whose father is the country superstar Billy Ray Cyrus, raked in $87.4 mil with her North American tour to become the fifth top concert money-maker of 2007. Some parents have been willing to shell out thousands of dollars to scalpers for admittance to sold-out shows.

Hannah madness even spawned a class-action lawsuit by members of Cyrus' fan club who claimed they were promised, but did not get, easier access to tickets.