Bridget Jones film set to be a huge hit as it beats best film of last year to sell staggering number of presale tickets

THE latest Bridget Jones movie has beaten Barbie in pre-sale tickets ahead of its release today.

More than 150,000 seats have already been booked in the UK by cinema chain Odeon, with more than half of those sold for Valentine’s Day.

It is set to be the busiest weekend at the box office so far in 2025 — with Marvel superhero movie Captain America: Brave New World also hitting the big screen.

Bridget’s previous outing — Bridget Jones’s Baby in 2016 — made £8.1million in its opening weekend.

Fourth and supposedly final film Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy is expected to far exceed that.

Barbie, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, made £18.4million in British cinemas from its first weekend in July 2023.

Robert Mitchell, of film industry experts Gower Street Analytics, said: “We’re anticipating it to be one of the biggest titles of the year in the UK, the biggest British film of the year, and the biggest box office for the first half of 2025.”

Eduardo Leal, of Vue cinemas, said: “Pre-sales are even higher than for blockbusters like Barbie. It is tracking to be the biggest ever Bridget Jones film.”

Renee Zellweger, 55, is reprising her role as the granny pants-wearing character, in a story based on a 2013 novel by Helen Fielding.

Odeon boss Suzie Welch said: “We are eagerly anticipating a fantastic opening weekend. It’s lovely to see how excited fans are to welcome Bridget back.”

The chain has also launched a Bridget-themed Flirty Fizz cocktail at selected cinemas.

The movie will see Bridget as a single mother-of-two, following the death of her partner Mark Darcy, played by Colin Firth.

She ends up in a relationship with a young park supervisor, played by Leo Woodall, 28.

But the movie faces tough competition at the box office against Marvel’s latest offering, starring Harrison Ford and Anthony Mackie.

Mr Mitchell added: “We’re anticipating a bumper Valentine’s weekend. I think Bridget is perfectly placed counter-programming to Captain America.”

The Sun first revealed in July 2022 how the latest Bridget film was in the works.

Shooting lasted from May until August last year in London.

Renee, who first played Bridget in 2001, said: “I love this character. It’s such a unique experience to have the opportunity to revisit a character, to get to know her in a different stage of her life as she evolves and grows. I feel great warmth for her.

“I’m also really protective over her and so the quality of the project is always at the forefront.”

• A PIZZA delivery scooter used in Bridget Jones’s Baby to rush her to hospital when she goes into labour is expected to fetch £12,000 in a sale at Ewbank’s Auctions, in Woking, Surrey, on April 4.