In an indication of what’s sure to be one of the largest opening weekends in a very long time, Fandango, an online movie-ticket vendor, is reporting that The Dark Knight is already selling out theaters for its July 18 release.

The film will open at 12:01 a.m. in many locations, and fans wanting to attend the late-night premiere have already made it Fandango’s fastest-selling ticket this summer. Fandango has seen a large bump in sales recently, corresponding to the beginning of the film’s major pre-release marketing push.

As Ted Hong, Fandango’s vice-president of marketing explains, the film caters to a very wide audience.

“It makes sense that there’s a rush for tickets on the big screen, as supported by our strong ticket sales for both traditional screens and the larger format in IMAX," he said. "We believe the film is appealing to both comic book and action fans, as well as casual moviegoers.”

Not only will The Dark Knight be able to build off the commercial and critical success of its predecessor, 2005’s Batman Begins, but buzz is growing of an Oscar-caliber performance from the late Heath Ledger in his last role as Batman’s nemesis The Joker.