"Breaking Dawn" advance tickets selling out fast

Cast member Robert Pattinson smiles while promoting ''Breaking Dawn'' from the Twilight Saga at the start of a news conference in Brussels October 26, 2011.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "Twilight" fans appear very hungry for the upcoming fourth film in the vampire romance franchise, snapping up advance tickets for "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1" and selling out early screenings.

Movietickets.com said on Wednesday it has sold out more than 1300 showtimes for "Breaking Dawn," which hits theaters on November 18, while competitor Fandango.com said it had closed sales on more than 1,000 showtimes across the United States.

"Breaking Dawn" ticket sales represent 72 percent of Fandango.com's weekly sales figures, and a survey hosted by the site show that 48 percent of ticket buyers were planning to see the film on opening night.

The "Twilight" films, which are based on a series of best-selling novels by American author Stephenie Meyer, have been among the most popular movies in recent years and "Breaking Dawn - Part 1" is among the most anticipated films of the current season.

The stories follows a young girl, Bella Swan, who falls in love with the vampire Edward Cullen in a world where bloodsuckers and werewolves roam in disguise among the living.

The first three films, which star Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner and are produced by independent studio Summit Entertainment, have made more than $1.8 billion at worldwide box offices, according to Box Office Mojo.

The fourth installment of the franchise will see Bella marry Edward and become pregnant, while vampire and werewolf tribes continue to battle.

The three main stars of the franchise made their mark on Hollywood last week, leaving their shoe and hand imprints in cement outside the iconic Grauman's Chinese Theater.

(Reporting and Writing by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)