14 DAY TRIAL // “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” opened the other weekend in most territories and, unsurprisingly, it proved to be a hit in terms of sales, becoming the third biggest opener ever. Critically speaking, though, the story was entirely different, with many critics not even bothering to see it in its entirety before labeling it rubbish. Luckily, director Chris Weitz tells Entertainment Weekly, this was not a movie for critics but for the fans.
As few are those who still don’t know, the “Twilight” franchise enjoys one of the most loyal fanbases in the industry, with the Twi-hards willing to go the distance to show their support. It’s for them that “New Moon” was made and not for movie critics, Weitz says for the mag. Critics will always try to find fault with everything, and the second installment in the franchise was no exception.
Moreover, the director doesn’t even exclude the possibility that those reviewers who might have had something good to say about the film chose not to do so for fear others would “pick” them. “Nothing surprises me in terms of reviews. Having been a reviewer myself, there are only two ways to spin this story. You can either be the one guy who says this is a great movie, or more likely, take a more jaundiced view of the whole thing. And given the media blitz that has accompanied ‘New Moon,’ it’s rather unsurprising. I do wish there was more appreciation for cinematographer Javier Aguirresarobe. I think he’s a genius and I think he made something beautiful,” Weitz explains.
The moment he realized neither he nor the film would get critical appreciation, Weitz found comfort in the idea that the fans at least would be pleased. In the end, the director says in more or less words, if fans like it, then it’s a commercial success, which means the studio, Summit Entertainment, can find no fault with the franchise and will continue investing in it. In the end, as experience has also taught us, it’s not what critics say that truly matters with movie studios, but ticket sales.
“I didn’t have any particular fears. The tracking numbers were enough to indicate that I wouldn’t be letting the studio down. But if one could imagine their biggest fears, it would be complete rejection of the movie, by the fans. What I’ve realized over the last week is I won’t necessarily get good reviews for this movie. Having swallowed that, this was made for the fans, and if you don’t get it, then you don’t get it,” Weitz further explains.