With the latest edition of the Twilight saga movie opening this week, the clamor surrounding Robert Pattinson has reached a fevered pitch. As so much, Bluewater Productions’ biography comic book featuring the popular actor has sold out. A second printing, with a new cover is already in production.
The news about the Pattinson comic selling out comes a week after the announcement of the “FAME: Lady Gaga” comic book selling out as well.
“I had a sense this title would do well, but it is selling even better than our projections.” said Bluewater president Darren Davis. “In fact, we really overprinted the book by a lot and it still sold out. This is a testament to his legion of fans.”
Fame: Robert Pattinson written by Kim Sherman and penciled by Nathaniel Ooten paints a unique portrait of the performer’s rise to fame; from his first credited role in Tess of the D’Urbervilles at London’s Barnes Theatre, to his breakout role as Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and, of course, his star turn portrayal of the ethereal vampire Edward Cullen in wildly successful Twilight movie series.
According to Davis, the reason for the success of the Pattinson bio comic, along with the other biography titles Bluewater produces, is the attraction for people outside the traditional comic book buying public.
“It’s wonderful that we can be a part of getting people into comic book shops that may have never set foot in one before,” Davis said. “The goal here is to encourage new readers and to introduce them to a new creative medium.”
Fame offers a broad examination of strong and influential personalities who are influencing culture. Other Fame titles include biographies on Lady Gaga, soccer superstar David Beckham, and Twilight co-stars Kristen Stewart & Taylor Lautner.
“Each of our biography comics takes a different approach in bringing our stars’ stories to life,” said Davis, “If you compare the Pattinson comic with the one on Lady Gaga or Michelle Obama or even with the upcoming Anne Rice bio, you’ll appreciate that these books are being crafted with a great deal of creativity, research and vision…they’re not cookie cutter productions.”
The second printing of Fame: Robert Pattinson will be available soon with a cover by FAME: Lady Gaga cover artist Paul Andrew Manton.
The suggested retail price (SRP) for the upcoming comic book is $3.99. To make sure you get your copy, contact your local comic book store to pre-order it. To find a comic book store near you go to www.comicshoplocator.com. The comic will also be on Amazon.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
20 tidbits for those who thirst for more ‘Twilight’
LOS ANGELES — The third installment in the girl-meets-vampire saga, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, hit theaters Wednesday. Here are 20 tidbits about the film from the cast, director and screenwriter.
1. It doesn’t take Robert Pattinson long to get into character. All he has to do to become Edward is slip in the contact lenses that give him vampire eyes.
“They make me miserable as soon as I put them in. That’s what creates the pouting and brooding character,” Pattinson says.
2. The toughest scene for Pattinson was when Edward and Jacob (Taylor Lautner) have a candid chat in a tent during a winter storm.
“We had to go back and reshoot the scene. I don’t know what happened, but I freaked out the first time we did it,” Pattinson says.
3. Eclipse features the long-awaited first kiss between werewolf Jacob and Bella (Kristen Stewart). Lautner says, “Bella is a fantastic kisser.”
4. To help Stewart react to Jacob as a werewolf, Lautner put on a green body suit, used to create the special effect, so he could be in the scene.
5. There’s more action in Eclipse than the previous two movies combined, but it didn’t mean extra work for Stewart.
“The action was absolutely everyone else’s responsibility. I just stand behind people who are stronger than me the entire time. I didn’t even get to run around as much as I did in the second movie,” Stewart says.
6. Director David Slade met with each actor before filming to get their views on their characters. He used other meetings to add his own ideas for the performances.
7. If you look closely, you’ll see that Bella’s bedroom is different than in the previous two movies. It’s 4 feet wider, because Slade needed extra room for the lenses he used to shoot the movie.
8. Weather created problems — again. “Sunlight was the big problem,” Slade says. “It would have been perfect for any other movie, but not for us.”
9. Twilight writer Stephenie Meyer was on the set during filming, but not to deal with the script. She was there in case the director or actors had a question about a character.
“She has a back story for all the characters,” Eclipse screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg says.
10. Adapting Eclipse to a film script was the hardest of the three movies for Rosenberg because most of the action is in the last third of the book. She had to find a way to move some of that action to the early moments of the film. Her solution was the army of Newborn vampires.
11. Although it might not look like it, the actors who play vampires spent four hours every morning in the makeup chair. They had to be sprayed completely to create the pale, shimmering skin.
12. The actors wanted to be loyal to the books when creating their characters. But Peter Facinelli, who plays Dr. Carlisle Cullen, took a little creative freedom with his wardrobe. He decided that Carlisle should wear scarves. It’s not just a fashion statement but a way of making his neck appear less vulnerable.
Facinelli ditched the scarves in Eclipse.
“Going to battle with the scarf would have been silly unless he was using it as a weapon,” Facinelli says. “Maybe in Breaking Dawn we can bring it back.”
13. Nikki Reed, who plays vampire Rosalie Hale, had a temperature of 102 degrees when filming an emotional scene in which Rosalie and Bella talk about what it means to become a vampire.
14. Reed quit smoking three months before the filming of Eclipse. She says that’s why she was able to handle the action scenes.
15. Eclipse is Jackson Rathbone’s favorite Twilight book. “This movie hits on a lot of different themes like vengeance, which is universal, and themes of alliances being formed,” says Rathbone, who plays Jasper Hale.
16. Hours before Dakota Fanning, 16, showed up to chat with the press about her role as Jane, the actress took her ACT exams. She has no worked planned past the Twilight movies, so she is going to college. Fanning has narrowed the list of schools but says she has made no final decision.
17. Pattinson had a difficult time doing fight scenes with Bryce Dallas Howard, who plays the evil Victoria. That’s because he found her to be such a gentle person.
“She was afraid she would be hurting me,” Pattinson says.
Howard says she was afraid if she messed up Pattinson’s hair, millions of Twilight fans would hate her.
18. Getting cast as Victoria was exciting for Howard because she’s a huge fan of the Twilight books. Many of her friends couldn’t understand what caused such passion.
“Their love is so dangerous,” Howard says.
Howard took over the role of Victoria after Rachelle Lefevre, the actress who played the wicked woman in the first two Twilight films, had a scheduling conflict and was fired.
19. Being such a fan made playing the role of Victoria easy for Howard.
“Her objective is very clear. Her objective is to destroy Bella,” Howard says. “It’s very rare that a character has such a clear objective.”
20. There will be a few deleted scenes on the DVD, including Bella and Angela (Christian Serratos) talking about guy troubles. Slade loved the scenes but says they didn’t fit the flow of the movie.
1. It doesn’t take Robert Pattinson long to get into character. All he has to do to become Edward is slip in the contact lenses that give him vampire eyes.
“They make me miserable as soon as I put them in. That’s what creates the pouting and brooding character,” Pattinson says.
2. The toughest scene for Pattinson was when Edward and Jacob (Taylor Lautner) have a candid chat in a tent during a winter storm.
“We had to go back and reshoot the scene. I don’t know what happened, but I freaked out the first time we did it,” Pattinson says.
3. Eclipse features the long-awaited first kiss between werewolf Jacob and Bella (Kristen Stewart). Lautner says, “Bella is a fantastic kisser.”
4. To help Stewart react to Jacob as a werewolf, Lautner put on a green body suit, used to create the special effect, so he could be in the scene.
5. There’s more action in Eclipse than the previous two movies combined, but it didn’t mean extra work for Stewart.
“The action was absolutely everyone else’s responsibility. I just stand behind people who are stronger than me the entire time. I didn’t even get to run around as much as I did in the second movie,” Stewart says.
6. Director David Slade met with each actor before filming to get their views on their characters. He used other meetings to add his own ideas for the performances.
7. If you look closely, you’ll see that Bella’s bedroom is different than in the previous two movies. It’s 4 feet wider, because Slade needed extra room for the lenses he used to shoot the movie.
8. Weather created problems — again. “Sunlight was the big problem,” Slade says. “It would have been perfect for any other movie, but not for us.”
9. Twilight writer Stephenie Meyer was on the set during filming, but not to deal with the script. She was there in case the director or actors had a question about a character.
“She has a back story for all the characters,” Eclipse screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg says.
10. Adapting Eclipse to a film script was the hardest of the three movies for Rosenberg because most of the action is in the last third of the book. She had to find a way to move some of that action to the early moments of the film. Her solution was the army of Newborn vampires.
11. Although it might not look like it, the actors who play vampires spent four hours every morning in the makeup chair. They had to be sprayed completely to create the pale, shimmering skin.
12. The actors wanted to be loyal to the books when creating their characters. But Peter Facinelli, who plays Dr. Carlisle Cullen, took a little creative freedom with his wardrobe. He decided that Carlisle should wear scarves. It’s not just a fashion statement but a way of making his neck appear less vulnerable.
Facinelli ditched the scarves in Eclipse.
“Going to battle with the scarf would have been silly unless he was using it as a weapon,” Facinelli says. “Maybe in Breaking Dawn we can bring it back.”
13. Nikki Reed, who plays vampire Rosalie Hale, had a temperature of 102 degrees when filming an emotional scene in which Rosalie and Bella talk about what it means to become a vampire.
14. Reed quit smoking three months before the filming of Eclipse. She says that’s why she was able to handle the action scenes.
15. Eclipse is Jackson Rathbone’s favorite Twilight book. “This movie hits on a lot of different themes like vengeance, which is universal, and themes of alliances being formed,” says Rathbone, who plays Jasper Hale.
16. Hours before Dakota Fanning, 16, showed up to chat with the press about her role as Jane, the actress took her ACT exams. She has no worked planned past the Twilight movies, so she is going to college. Fanning has narrowed the list of schools but says she has made no final decision.
17. Pattinson had a difficult time doing fight scenes with Bryce Dallas Howard, who plays the evil Victoria. That’s because he found her to be such a gentle person.
“She was afraid she would be hurting me,” Pattinson says.
Howard says she was afraid if she messed up Pattinson’s hair, millions of Twilight fans would hate her.
18. Getting cast as Victoria was exciting for Howard because she’s a huge fan of the Twilight books. Many of her friends couldn’t understand what caused such passion.
“Their love is so dangerous,” Howard says.
Howard took over the role of Victoria after Rachelle Lefevre, the actress who played the wicked woman in the first two Twilight films, had a scheduling conflict and was fired.
19. Being such a fan made playing the role of Victoria easy for Howard.
“Her objective is very clear. Her objective is to destroy Bella,” Howard says. “It’s very rare that a character has such a clear objective.”
20. There will be a few deleted scenes on the DVD, including Bella and Angela (Christian Serratos) talking about guy troubles. Slade loved the scenes but says they didn’t fit the flow of the movie.
Denver Post Review: “Eclipse” shines bright for vampire-series fans
If you are feeling a bit “once bitten, twice shy” about seeing the third installment of Stephenie Meyer’s blockbuster vampire tale come to the big screen, you can let that go.
“The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” is a finer outing than 2009’s “New Moon.” Managing to be both sulky and cheesy, that second film was a sequel only fans could love.
While the new “Eclipse” remains foremost a flick for devotees, it has sturdier pleasures and takes on its emotional ambitions with renewed dedication.
Themes so deliciously part of the vampire ouvre — the anguish and longing, the hunger and thirst — are handled well by returning screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg and new director David Slade (“30 Days of Night” and “Hard Candy”). So are the tentative promise and burgeoning burdens of growing up and taking responsibility for one’s decisions.
Kristen Stewart returns as Bella, the human in love with the decent vampire Edward (Robert Pattinson) and in deep friendship with the Native American werewolf Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner).
When last we left the trio, a vampire high council, called the Volturi, demanded that the Cullens make Bella a vampire.
Edward has a deep reluctance to inflict that eternal nibble on his beloved. But the bill is coming due and “Eclipse” takes place in the space of a month.
The sequel uses the resonant deadline of Bella’s high- school graduation. Will Edward deliver Bella the bite she craves? Will she, as Edward requires, marry him first? And what about Naomi, er, Jacob?
Loss and revenge course through “Eclipse.” The auburn-haired vampire Victoria (Bryce Dallas Howard, who is new in the role) drafts Forks native Riley (Xavier Samuel) as leader of a ravenous army of freshly bitten Newborns to battle the Cullens. Bella is her true target.
The action is vigorous; the acting is not. If the leads fear being forever linked to their “Twilight” roles, perhaps they should. Stewart and Pattinson in particular have been confined and are quickly becoming defined by the brooding glances of their characters. Those from the old school recognize the aesthetic well. And if “Twilight” were true to its soap-opera tradition, Bella and Edward would have a theme song like Luke and Laura, like Bo and Hope.
Still, there is great fun seeing the Cullen clan aligned in battle. And there’s nothing quite so retro-Tiger-Beat as watching Jacob’s Wolf Pack brethren bound out of a cabin on the Quileute reservation in their aerobicized human form, shirtless to a man.
Most winning are Ashley Greene and Jackson Rathbone as the young — all right, very, very old — vampire loves Alice Cullen and Jasper Hale.
There’s joy and friskiness in their eternal affection that even at the end of “Eclipse” — but hardly the finale of “Twilight” — eludes Bella and Edward. Stay tuned.
“The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” is a finer outing than 2009’s “New Moon.” Managing to be both sulky and cheesy, that second film was a sequel only fans could love.
While the new “Eclipse” remains foremost a flick for devotees, it has sturdier pleasures and takes on its emotional ambitions with renewed dedication.
Themes so deliciously part of the vampire ouvre — the anguish and longing, the hunger and thirst — are handled well by returning screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg and new director David Slade (“30 Days of Night” and “Hard Candy”). So are the tentative promise and burgeoning burdens of growing up and taking responsibility for one’s decisions.
Kristen Stewart returns as Bella, the human in love with the decent vampire Edward (Robert Pattinson) and in deep friendship with the Native American werewolf Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner).
When last we left the trio, a vampire high council, called the Volturi, demanded that the Cullens make Bella a vampire.
Edward has a deep reluctance to inflict that eternal nibble on his beloved. But the bill is coming due and “Eclipse” takes place in the space of a month.
The sequel uses the resonant deadline of Bella’s high- school graduation. Will Edward deliver Bella the bite she craves? Will she, as Edward requires, marry him first? And what about Naomi, er, Jacob?
Loss and revenge course through “Eclipse.” The auburn-haired vampire Victoria (Bryce Dallas Howard, who is new in the role) drafts Forks native Riley (Xavier Samuel) as leader of a ravenous army of freshly bitten Newborns to battle the Cullens. Bella is her true target.
The action is vigorous; the acting is not. If the leads fear being forever linked to their “Twilight” roles, perhaps they should. Stewart and Pattinson in particular have been confined and are quickly becoming defined by the brooding glances of their characters. Those from the old school recognize the aesthetic well. And if “Twilight” were true to its soap-opera tradition, Bella and Edward would have a theme song like Luke and Laura, like Bo and Hope.
Still, there is great fun seeing the Cullen clan aligned in battle. And there’s nothing quite so retro-Tiger-Beat as watching Jacob’s Wolf Pack brethren bound out of a cabin on the Quileute reservation in their aerobicized human form, shirtless to a man.
Most winning are Ashley Greene and Jackson Rathbone as the young — all right, very, very old — vampire loves Alice Cullen and Jasper Hale.
There’s joy and friskiness in their eternal affection that even at the end of “Eclipse” — but hardly the finale of “Twilight” — eludes Bella and Edward. Stay tuned.
Latest movie based on ‘Twilight’ books is easily the best
Then it comes to the latest vampire craze, I prefer the undead on HBO’s “True Blood” to child’s play in the first two “Twilight” films – which I found to be a broodish bore.
But the third time proves to be the charm with the latest adaptation of the wildly popular Stephenie Meyer novels, “Twilight: Eclipse.” Yes, there is still plenty of the girlie love triangle between the three leads, but this is a more confident film in the hands of director David Slade, who crafts a summer popcorn flick that will appease its fan base, while managing to hold the interest of nonfans as well. This is easily the best film in the series, and the first one that will likely appeal to everyone, not just the diehards.
“Eclipse” begins with Bella (Kristen Stewart) and vampire Edward (Robert Pattinson) going forward with their plans to wed and have Edward turn Bella into a vampire. The romance isn’t without its problems (other than the fact that Edward is dead), with werewolf Jacob (Taylor Lautner) also vying for Bella’s affections.
Teen love is forced to take a backseat, however, when a string of mysterious killings in nearby Seattle are linked to a vampire (Bryce Dallas Howard) plotting her revenge on Edward’s family and Bella.
With an army of newbie vampires fast approaching, Edward and Jacob, and their families, are forced to put aside their differences and unite to save Bella and their small town.
The love triangle is still center stage, and sometimes the dialogue is eye rolling, but Slade (who previously directed the underrated “Hard Candy”) is smart enough to keep the film rolling with much more emphasis on action and back story than the previous two films. The result is a film that feels less like a script from a “Tiger Beat” contest and more like an actual creation of an alternate universe where vampires, werewolves and humans all coexist.
Melissa Rosenberg’s screenplay also takes time to give us back stories on several members of Edward’s family, as well as the origin of the feud between the vampires and wolves, which allows the uninitiated in the audience to feel more emotionally attached to the material.
The three leads, who have never been mistaken for master thespians, are also tolerable as well. Pattinson is still the weakest of the three, but he is passable. Stewart seems to have carried some of her screen presence from “Adventureland” and “The Runaways” into this film, giving a performance that isn’t nearly as one note as the previous two “Twilight” films, while Lautner actually shows some comedic touch – even if his dramatic moments don’t always ring true.
The result is a film that proved to be way more entertaining than I expected. While I’d still consider myself team Bon Temps (the fictional town where “True Blood” is set), I can now say that there is at least hope for the next “Twilight” film. I’m not a fan of the series yet, but this film was a giant leap in the right direction.
But the third time proves to be the charm with the latest adaptation of the wildly popular Stephenie Meyer novels, “Twilight: Eclipse.” Yes, there is still plenty of the girlie love triangle between the three leads, but this is a more confident film in the hands of director David Slade, who crafts a summer popcorn flick that will appease its fan base, while managing to hold the interest of nonfans as well. This is easily the best film in the series, and the first one that will likely appeal to everyone, not just the diehards.
“Eclipse” begins with Bella (Kristen Stewart) and vampire Edward (Robert Pattinson) going forward with their plans to wed and have Edward turn Bella into a vampire. The romance isn’t without its problems (other than the fact that Edward is dead), with werewolf Jacob (Taylor Lautner) also vying for Bella’s affections.
Teen love is forced to take a backseat, however, when a string of mysterious killings in nearby Seattle are linked to a vampire (Bryce Dallas Howard) plotting her revenge on Edward’s family and Bella.
With an army of newbie vampires fast approaching, Edward and Jacob, and their families, are forced to put aside their differences and unite to save Bella and their small town.
The love triangle is still center stage, and sometimes the dialogue is eye rolling, but Slade (who previously directed the underrated “Hard Candy”) is smart enough to keep the film rolling with much more emphasis on action and back story than the previous two films. The result is a film that feels less like a script from a “Tiger Beat” contest and more like an actual creation of an alternate universe where vampires, werewolves and humans all coexist.
Melissa Rosenberg’s screenplay also takes time to give us back stories on several members of Edward’s family, as well as the origin of the feud between the vampires and wolves, which allows the uninitiated in the audience to feel more emotionally attached to the material.
The three leads, who have never been mistaken for master thespians, are also tolerable as well. Pattinson is still the weakest of the three, but he is passable. Stewart seems to have carried some of her screen presence from “Adventureland” and “The Runaways” into this film, giving a performance that isn’t nearly as one note as the previous two “Twilight” films, while Lautner actually shows some comedic touch – even if his dramatic moments don’t always ring true.
The result is a film that proved to be way more entertaining than I expected. While I’d still consider myself team Bon Temps (the fictional town where “True Blood” is set), I can now say that there is at least hope for the next “Twilight” film. I’m not a fan of the series yet, but this film was a giant leap in the right direction.
Marie Claire: Eclipse director: ‘We had a closed set during Robert and Kristen’s kiss’
Twilight director David Slade has opened up on Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart’s steamy Eclipse kiss, revealing that they had a closed set during the intimate moment.
Talking at a UK Eclipse event, the famous film boss also told how he thinks Eclipse is the most mature film so far, opening up on the way he addressed the book’s steamier moments.
‘This was the most mature film,’ David said.
‘We really wanted to address the sex issue, as we didn’t want Edward to come across as a prude.
‘But Eclipse does suggest that perhaps there can be a natural rhythm to a relationship and you don’t have to jump into it straight away,’ he addedd.
Telling all on how they filmed the heat-filled scenes, David revealed he closed the set, to create added tension between rumoured couple Kristen and Rob.
‘This stuff is always awkward to shoot, and you just have to get people really comfortable with each other,’ he said.
‘We do it as a closed set. There’s no giggling and joking around, and everybody treats it very professionally – that’s just the way it works.’
And funnily enough, Rob and Kristen didn’t have any trouble with the steamy kissing scene.
‘They didn’t seem to be nervous, they were to be fine with each other,’ David revealed.
‘We shot that on the very last night and it just seemed to go wonderfully. It just flowed beautifully.’
Letting on he thinks the key to the Saga’s success is love, the Eclipse director added: ‘To find something which is so unapologetically a true love story is so rare.
‘The film wears its heart on its sleeve. I think it’s culturally quite healthy to see true love as a nice thing, and not to get all angsty.’
Talking at a UK Eclipse event, the famous film boss also told how he thinks Eclipse is the most mature film so far, opening up on the way he addressed the book’s steamier moments.
‘This was the most mature film,’ David said.
‘We really wanted to address the sex issue, as we didn’t want Edward to come across as a prude.
‘But Eclipse does suggest that perhaps there can be a natural rhythm to a relationship and you don’t have to jump into it straight away,’ he addedd.
Telling all on how they filmed the heat-filled scenes, David revealed he closed the set, to create added tension between rumoured couple Kristen and Rob.
‘This stuff is always awkward to shoot, and you just have to get people really comfortable with each other,’ he said.
‘We do it as a closed set. There’s no giggling and joking around, and everybody treats it very professionally – that’s just the way it works.’
And funnily enough, Rob and Kristen didn’t have any trouble with the steamy kissing scene.
‘They didn’t seem to be nervous, they were to be fine with each other,’ David revealed.
‘We shot that on the very last night and it just seemed to go wonderfully. It just flowed beautifully.’
Letting on he thinks the key to the Saga’s success is love, the Eclipse director added: ‘To find something which is so unapologetically a true love story is so rare.
‘The film wears its heart on its sleeve. I think it’s culturally quite healthy to see true love as a nice thing, and not to get all angsty.’
LA Times: ‘Eclipse’ headed for $180 million by Monday
Hollywood is looking for box office fireworks over the July 4 weekend.
Like the last two movies based on Stephenie Meyer’s fan favorite vampire books, “The Twilight Sage: Eclipse,” which debuted Wednesday, is set to draw hordes of young women this weekend and should generate about $180 million in the U.S. and Canada by the national holiday Monday.
Meanwhile, “The Last Airbender,” a big-screen, live-action adaptation of the Nickelodeon animated television series that debuts Thursday is getting boys excited and should open to about $50 million.
With the all-ages “Toy Story 3″ still doing solid business and the studios behind the more adult-leaning “Grown Ups” and “Knight & Day” looking for good second weekend holds, total box office tallies are expected to be huge through Monday.
That could augur a much bigger July 4 weekend than last year, when “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs” and “Public Enemies” opened, and help boost what has been a soft summer box office with total receipts down 5% since early May over last year.
“I think you’re going to see a weekend up significantly from last year because of the breadth of product,” said Rob Moore, vice chairman of “Airbender” studio Paramount Pictures. “You really have something for everyone.”
In the case of “Twilight,” distributor Summit Entertainment has virtually guaranteed the third adaption of the bestselling books will rack up a huge box office tally in its first week by opening it this week. “Eclipse” grossed a record $30 million-plus in midnight shows Tuesday night. By Monday, most of the series’ fervent fans will likely see the movie at least once.
Last November’s “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” grossed $179 million in the U.S. and Canada by its sixth day and “Eclipse” will likely do at least that much by Monday and possibly as much as $200 million, said people who have seen prerelease surveys. The new film has an advantage over its predecessor given the holiday weekend, the fact that many students are off from school and can go to weekday matinees, and that it is the first “Twilight” movie to play on premium priced Imax screens.
As a result, total receipts for the new film will almost certainly be very front-loaded, with most of its revenue coming in the first week.
“It’s a compressed period during which we expect to do a whole bunch of business,” said Summit domestic distribution president Richard Fay.
It remains to be seen, however, whether “Eclipse” will significantly outperform the $297-million total gross of “New Moon,” or if it will simply be the same “Twilight” fans turning out once again.
Either way, Summit is sure to make a huge profit on the movie, which cost about $68 million to produce. The majority of the film’s revenue should come from overseas, where “New Moon” grossed $413 million and Summit has pre-sold the film to local distributors. “Eclipse” debuts in 42 foreign territories this weekend, including several of the most lucrative for “New Moon,” such as Mexico, Italy, Australia and Spain.
Like the last two movies based on Stephenie Meyer’s fan favorite vampire books, “The Twilight Sage: Eclipse,” which debuted Wednesday, is set to draw hordes of young women this weekend and should generate about $180 million in the U.S. and Canada by the national holiday Monday.
Meanwhile, “The Last Airbender,” a big-screen, live-action adaptation of the Nickelodeon animated television series that debuts Thursday is getting boys excited and should open to about $50 million.
With the all-ages “Toy Story 3″ still doing solid business and the studios behind the more adult-leaning “Grown Ups” and “Knight & Day” looking for good second weekend holds, total box office tallies are expected to be huge through Monday.
That could augur a much bigger July 4 weekend than last year, when “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs” and “Public Enemies” opened, and help boost what has been a soft summer box office with total receipts down 5% since early May over last year.
“I think you’re going to see a weekend up significantly from last year because of the breadth of product,” said Rob Moore, vice chairman of “Airbender” studio Paramount Pictures. “You really have something for everyone.”
In the case of “Twilight,” distributor Summit Entertainment has virtually guaranteed the third adaption of the bestselling books will rack up a huge box office tally in its first week by opening it this week. “Eclipse” grossed a record $30 million-plus in midnight shows Tuesday night. By Monday, most of the series’ fervent fans will likely see the movie at least once.
Last November’s “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” grossed $179 million in the U.S. and Canada by its sixth day and “Eclipse” will likely do at least that much by Monday and possibly as much as $200 million, said people who have seen prerelease surveys. The new film has an advantage over its predecessor given the holiday weekend, the fact that many students are off from school and can go to weekday matinees, and that it is the first “Twilight” movie to play on premium priced Imax screens.
As a result, total receipts for the new film will almost certainly be very front-loaded, with most of its revenue coming in the first week.
“It’s a compressed period during which we expect to do a whole bunch of business,” said Summit domestic distribution president Richard Fay.
It remains to be seen, however, whether “Eclipse” will significantly outperform the $297-million total gross of “New Moon,” or if it will simply be the same “Twilight” fans turning out once again.
Either way, Summit is sure to make a huge profit on the movie, which cost about $68 million to produce. The majority of the film’s revenue should come from overseas, where “New Moon” grossed $413 million and Summit has pre-sold the film to local distributors. “Eclipse” debuts in 42 foreign territories this weekend, including several of the most lucrative for “New Moon,” such as Mexico, Italy, Australia and Spain.
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse Opens to $68 Million
Summit Entertainment’s The Twilight Saga: Eclipse earned an estimated $68 million its first day which is a new record for a Wednesday opening, surpassing previous record holder Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen ($62 million). The third installment debuted in a record 4,416 theaters.
While the opening day is not as big as The Twilight Saga: New Moon’s record of $72.7 million, if the estimate holds it would still be the second-best single day and opening day ever and would knock The Dark Knight ($67.2 million) to third.
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse cost about $68 million to make, but that’s not counting the promo campaign for the film.
Directed by David Slade and written by Melissa Rosenberg, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse stars Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Bryce Dallas Howard, Ashley Greene, Billy Burke, Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, Nikki Reed, Kellan Lutz, Jackson Rathbone and Dakota Fanning.
While the opening day is not as big as The Twilight Saga: New Moon’s record of $72.7 million, if the estimate holds it would still be the second-best single day and opening day ever and would knock The Dark Knight ($67.2 million) to third.
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse cost about $68 million to make, but that’s not counting the promo campaign for the film.
Directed by David Slade and written by Melissa Rosenberg, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse stars Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Bryce Dallas Howard, Ashley Greene, Billy Burke, Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, Nikki Reed, Kellan Lutz, Jackson Rathbone and Dakota Fanning.
Yahoo Movies “Team Edward” vs. “Team Jacob”: And the Buzz Goes To…
In the never-ending “Twilight” battle between Team Edward and Team Jacob, we have the results: The vampire — and the man who plays him — claims the buzz. Sure, there’s been a lot of tough talk about the Wolf boy — aka Jacob Black, aka Taylor Lautner — wooing affections away from his glittering rival. But, as a brooding Bella knows, it takes a lot to shake one’s loyalty to Edward Cullen — aka Robert Pattinson.
Not that there hasn’t been a time when many have strayed: Jacob Black (and Lautner himself) wrangled more searches on Yahoo! than Edward Cullen (and Pattinson) for about three weeks — around the premiere for “New Moon.” Since then, though, Edward Cullen has averaged about 17% more lookups than Jacob Black, and Pattinson about 40% more online interest than his co-star.
The key difference though is who’s swooning for whom. The characters of Edward and Jacob pretty much pull in the same crowd (girls 17 and under with a sprinkling of ladies 35-54), but a seismic generation gap opens up with the actors.
Team Edward: Good thing he’s well above consenting age: Girls make up just 14% of Pattinson’s online seekers, but females all the way in their 50s are intrigued by the pale Londoner. The latest burning Search questions: that dating situation with co-star Kristen Stewart (he says they’re so close, they “understand each other“), his music (a back-up plan should acting fail), and those genealogical ties to Vlad the Impaler aka Dracula (a distant uncle).
Team Jacob: More than a quarter of the hearts that beat for the Wolf Pack pup are teens, and 1 out of 5 are preteens. Plus, he poses some manly appeal: 26% of searches are from males, which may explain all the “taylor lautner workout routine” queries. (And surely Lautner had his bros in mind when he claimed “Eclipse” to be the “most guy-friendly.”) Other recent sought-after details in Search: his hookups with Taylor Swift/Selena Gomez/Sara Hicks, the “Shark Boy and Lava Girl” days, and those short legs (but hey, good enough for his underaged martial arts striptease act).
Not that there hasn’t been a time when many have strayed: Jacob Black (and Lautner himself) wrangled more searches on Yahoo! than Edward Cullen (and Pattinson) for about three weeks — around the premiere for “New Moon.” Since then, though, Edward Cullen has averaged about 17% more lookups than Jacob Black, and Pattinson about 40% more online interest than his co-star.
The key difference though is who’s swooning for whom. The characters of Edward and Jacob pretty much pull in the same crowd (girls 17 and under with a sprinkling of ladies 35-54), but a seismic generation gap opens up with the actors.
Team Edward: Good thing he’s well above consenting age: Girls make up just 14% of Pattinson’s online seekers, but females all the way in their 50s are intrigued by the pale Londoner. The latest burning Search questions: that dating situation with co-star Kristen Stewart (he says they’re so close, they “understand each other“), his music (a back-up plan should acting fail), and those genealogical ties to Vlad the Impaler aka Dracula (a distant uncle).
Team Jacob: More than a quarter of the hearts that beat for the Wolf Pack pup are teens, and 1 out of 5 are preteens. Plus, he poses some manly appeal: 26% of searches are from males, which may explain all the “taylor lautner workout routine” queries. (And surely Lautner had his bros in mind when he claimed “Eclipse” to be the “most guy-friendly.”) Other recent sought-after details in Search: his hookups with Taylor Swift/Selena Gomez/Sara Hicks, the “Shark Boy and Lava Girl” days, and those short legs (but hey, good enough for his underaged martial arts striptease act).
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