Twilight's 'New Moon' makes box office soaring

The film rakes in more than double 'Twilight's' launch and breaks records, an early gift for Hollywood.

Recession be damned, Hollywood is on its way to what could be its merriest holiday season ever, thanks to a group of undead teenagers.

"The Twilight Saga: New Moon" posted the third-largest opening in domestic box-office history, not accounting for ticket price inflation, having sold an estimated $140.7 million worth of tickets in the U.S. and Canada from Friday through Sunday. Only Warner Bros.' "The Dark Knight" and Sony's "Spider-Man 3" had bigger openings.
Summit Entertainment's "New Moon" smashed the previous record for a movie opening outside the summer event movie season and more than doubled the launch of the first "Twilight" movie last year.

Though the audience for the new movie was slightly older and included more men than its predecessor, crowds were still overwhelmingly female. The success of the "Twilight" DVD, released in March and the No. 1 seller this year, probably helped increase interest among adults and males and persuade more young women to see the sequel on the big screen.

The good news for the vampire series wasn't bad news for everyone else.

Several other pictures, including "The Blind Side" and "Precious," had strong weekends, driving overall domestic box-office receipts to their second-highest total ever on a non-holiday weekend.

"It's a really good sign for the industry," said Dan Fellman, president of domestic distribution for "Blind Side" distributor Warner Bros. "It just goes to show you good movies can expand the marketplace and we still have strong potential."

For Summit, which at less than 3 years old has very few hits under its belt, "New Moon" is a massive financial success. The movie grossed an additional $118.1 million in 25 foreign countries, giving it a worldwide launch total of $258.8 million. Studios typically keep about half of their films' domestic box-office receipts and 40% from overseas.

"New Moon" cost just under $50 million to produce, making it the least expensive movie ever to open to more than $200 million worldwide. Even including Summit's marketing costs, it is likely to start generating profit from box-office revenue alone, before hitting DVD, pay cable and the other post-theatrical markets where most successful films go into the black.

When "New Moon" broke the record for the biggest opening day in history on Friday, some in the industry thought fans of the first "Twilight" had simply shifted up attendance to the first day with the help of online ticketing.

But "New Moon's" 41% drop on Saturday was the same as its predecessor's, an indication that the vampire series' audience expanded significantly and that "New Moon's" box-office declines in the coming weeks will be similar to "Twilight's."

If it does enjoy the same multiple -- a comparison of final gross to opening -- as "Twilight," "New Moon" could end up grossing nearly $400 million domestically. ("Twilight's" domestic gross was $192.8 million.)

Still, "New Moon" will probably make the vast majority of its money in the next two weeks, leaving plenty of room in the market. That's good news for several other movies that found their audiences this weekend in the wake of the vampire film.

"The Blind Side," financed by Alcon Entertainment, generated the biggest opening ever for a Sandra Bullock movie, with $34.5 million.

It garnered an average audience grade of A-plus, according to market research firm CinemaScore; the only other film to do so this year was Pixar's "Up."

Word-of-mouth could drive "The Blind Side" to more than $150 million if, as Fellman predicted, it keeps playing well through Christmas.

Lionsgate's Sundance Film Festival purchase "Precious" continues to play extremely well, collecting $11 million as it expanded to 629 theaters in most major cities.

Numerous other pictures with big expectations are rolling out in the coming weeks, hoping this weekend's box-office momentum will continue. On Wednesday, Disney's "Old Dogs," Warner Bros.' "Ninja Assassin" and Fox's "The Fantastic Mr. Fox," which has performed well in four theaters for the last two weeks, will enter the fray.

December will see several highly anticipated movies, including Disney's animated "The Princess and the Frog," Paramount's "The Lovely Bones," Warner Bros.' "Sherlock Holmes" and Fox's "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel" and $300-million-plus event film "Avatar."

Although "New Moon" easily vanquished last weekend's No. 1 picture, "2012," domestically, Sony's $200-million disaster film held on much stronger overseas, grossing $100.5 million in its second weekend and bringing its worldwide total to $449.8 million.

Taylor Lautner Panties Dominate 'Jay Leno' And 'The Tonight Show'

It was all about the Taylor Lautner panties on the late night circuit Monday, as both Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner himself dished about the laughable lingerie in separate talk show appearances.

First up was the always-dapper Taylor sporting a gray suit and skinny tie on "The Jay Leno Show." When asked about his most shocking fan encounter, Taylor had a hard time choosing just one, but settled on this unsettling encounter:

"We were at an autograph signing," he began. "There was a mother who was like in her mid-40s and a little teenage daughter. And the mother, she's getting ready, she's up next, she's like shaking and doing this dance and rubbing her hands, and she's getting all ready. And the daughter, she's just chilling [crosses arms]. And [the event supervisors] go, 'All right, you're up.' The mother skips on up. She goes, 'Excluse me, Taylor.' She grabs, my wrist. 'I'm wearing the Team Taylor panties right now. Is there anyway I can take them off for you and have you sign them quick?' And the daughter goes 'Mom, come on!' "

Taylor also divulged where he and his fellow "New Moon" cast members liked to chill to avoid rabid fan attention while filming in Vancouver. "My hangout was the senior citizen bowling alley," he divulged. "It worked really. The balls, they're like really tiny and you can hold them in your hands. And there's only like five pins. I mean, there's nobody under the age of 80 there."

In addition to an exclusive clip from "New Moon" (which we'll get to in a minute), Jay brought out some rare footage of Taylor singing on Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey's show "The Nick and Jessica Variety Hour." The much-younger (and less beefy) Taylor donned mouse ears and a t-shirt reading "Joel" to sing the Mickey Mouse song. Aw, so cute! Oh yes, and the exclusive clip. It was an extended scene of Jacob jumping into Bella's window, ending with his now-famous line, "Have you ever had a secret you couldn't tell anyone?" Besides two very short lines of dialogue, it was nothing we hadn't seen before.

Next up was Kristen on "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien" where the 19-year-old, looking pretty in a white and black bustier dress and shiny black pumps, debuted her new ink: a Bella tattoo. OK, OK`, so it was just a stick figure she drew on her hand, but it added a certain rocker chick vibe to the ensemble.

When asked about the weirdest piece of "Twilight" merchandise she'd ever seen, Kristen gave a very familiar answer. "I think it's weird that we have underwear with Taylor's face on it," she replied. She's also not too impressed with the Bella doll (different from the Bella Barbie), which she says doesn't look much like her. "She's very well endowed," she said with a laugh.

Kristen also talked about how passionate the Italian "Twilight" fans were, remembering once even being carried out of a bookstore. "Wait, who was carrying you out?" interjected Conan. "I hope one of your people." "Yeah, totally," Kristen responded, gaining a laugh from the audience. "I thought they were like, 'I will-a take-a you home now,' " Conan replied in an affected Italian accent, mimicking carrying Kristen away like a sack of pasta.

KStew concluded her appearance by running her fingers through Conan's hair, a tradition costar Nikki Reed began during her late night appearance last year. How epic would that be if Robert Pattinson and Conan caressed each other's locks? One can only hope, I suppose.

The "New Moon" stars will be appearing on talk shows all week, so keep reading Hollywood Crush's Twilight Watch for the latest.

Kristen Stewart Flip Flops On Her 'New Moon' Vote

If you're keeping tally of where the "Twilight" trinity's alliances lie in the embittered Team Jacob vs. Team Edward debate, you may need to do a recount. Sure, it's pretty safe to assume beefy Taylor Lautner is firmly in the Team Jacob camp (duh!). And last year Robert Pattinson surprisingly admitted his preference for the wolf as well, saying at a Q&A session, "I'd go with Jacob. Jacob is way more interesting." But then there's Kristen Stewart who seems to be having a hard time making up her mind.

Previously reported to be a Team Jacob acolyte, the 19-year-old may be a flip-flopper. "I think the whole point of the story is that there isn't a wrong choice," the diplomatic actress told MTV News during a press junket in Beverly Hills. "I go back and forth from being Team Edward and Team Jacob all the time. That's the story," she continued.

"The story wouldn't exist if there wasn't, like, a genuine argument for why she should be with both sides."

But don't chalk one up for Team Switzerland just yet. Though Bella's BFF is logically a better bet, Kristen agrees with many "Twilight" fans that there's just something undeniable about Edward. "On paper, I think Jacob's probably better for her," she explained. "There's ease. He's her best friend. She's always smiling around him. She's safe with him. But there's just something about Edward. It's just that sort of indescribable thing that she can't live without. I think, put in that position, I would have to go with Edward." Now if only we knew her stance on Team Rob...

Ashley Greene Wins “Fresh Face” in Twilight Appearance

The Teen Choice Awards ceremony on Sunday witnessed the 22 year old actress Ashley Greene prettily dressed for the occasion in a light blue bustier top and flowery skirt by Dloce Gabbana.She was carrying a “Luna” bag by Raven Kauffman Coutre.

At the ceremony, a special presentation, was done for the entire cast of “Twilight“. The movie was nominated for 12 different categories and the actress Ashley Greene won the title of the fresh face. Taylor Lautner thanked the “Twilight Fans” on behalf of the entire cast for making them feel so popular and loved. Co-star Kellen Lutz will be soon seen with Ashley Greene in “Warrior”.

“Twilight” features the love interest of a vampire,(possibly 108 years old with the body of a 17 year old). The theme is an old one from the Stephenie Meyer’s bestselling fiction that goes by the same name.The unnatural sexual relation between the vampire and a young girl is bound to set your blood rushing in appalling anxiety as to what might follow. She has made quite a name for herself in Hollywood and the Television circuit with numerous roles that she has depicted, yet her portrayal of Alice Cullen in the movie Twilight remains the most famous one amongst her fans.

Ashley Greene wanted to have a career on the ramp as a model, but did not find a place there as she was rather short. She will appear as Alice Collen yet again in Twilight’s sequel the “New Moon” in 2009. The evening show had Robert Pattison and Kristen Stewart sitting together. You can watch them on FOX 11 at 8pm Monday.

'New Moon' Stars Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart And Taylor Lautner To Appear At Comic-Con

If you live in the San Diego area, we suggest you buy some ear plugs, stat. Variety is reporting that "New Moon" stars Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner will appear at Comic-Con 2009 this week to promote the "Twilight" sequel. Cue the squealing teens!

Fans have been speculating for months whether the Saga's stars would turn up for the event, with keen interest focused on RPattz who is in the middle of filming "Remember Me" in New York City. According to the report, Robert, Kristen and Taylor will participate in an off-site press conference Thursday morning and will attend a Hall H panel later in the afternoon at the San Diego Convention Center.