‘Twilight: Eclipse’ Sets Box Office Record

The third installment in “The Twilight Saga” is poised to become an even bigger hit that either of its predecessor. Midnight shows alone, totaling some 4,000 theaters, have led to ticket sales in the range of $30 million, which literally makes the biggest opener in a very long time, Box Office Mojo reports. What’s more, this is only the beginning, industry insiders say.

So far, critics have maintained they couldn’t possibly explain why the “Twilight” films were such huge hits with audiences especially since there was plenty to criticize about them. “Eclipse” promises to make a change as regards this aspect as well, with early reviews hinting the third film is a perfect balance of soapy romance, action, good acting and brilliant directing. Whether positive reviews had anything to do with it or not, it’s certain that more and more moviegoers are buying into the Twilight phenomenon.

“The Twilight Saga: Eclipse ripped into the record books with its midnight launch, grossing over $30 million at more than 4,000 theaters. That surpassed The Twilight Saga: New Moon’s previous benchmark of $26.3 million. Included in Eclipse’s sum was a new IMAX midnight milestone of over $1 million at 192 venues, topping Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’s $959,000,” the aforementioned publication, which specializes in box office performance and numbers, informs.

“The vampire romance sequel had already cast the widest opening net ever, biting into a whopping 4,416 locations (more theaters are expected to be added on Friday). Iron Man 2 previously held that title with 4,380 locations, while Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince hold the record for highest location count ever at 4,455. Eclipse’s count includes 193 IMAX venues, which is just shy of Shrek Forever After’s 194 record,” the e-zine goes on to say.

As also noted above, this is just the beginning, industry insider's estimate. While “New Moon” broke records with its very strong opening weekend, “Eclipse” is believed to be on the right path to fare even better. Judging by these initial numbers, one can rightly say that the Twilight frenzy is nowhere near the point of dying down.