LOS ANGELES — “Twilight” took a giant bite out of the North American box office over the weekend, selling
an estimated $70.6 million in tickets and proving that a wholesome love story
can still turn out a huge young-adult audience.
The movie, based on the first in Stephenie Meyer’s hugely popular series of
vampire romance novels, was expected to deliver strong results for Summit
Entertainment. A frenzy among teenage girls marked the picture’s arrival in
theaters, with more than 1,000 screenings across the country selling out days in
advance. The opening-weekend gross beat even bullish expectations. Box-office
analysts had predicted the film would be lucky to reach $60 million because of
limited appeal among male moviegoers.
“Twilight” is the story of Bella Swan (Kristen
Stewart), a sullen but sweet high-school student who falls in love with a
tender vampire (Robert Pattinson) who is on a no-human-blood diet.
“As we saw the results of the first midnight showings, we figured we had a
tiger by the tail,” said Richard Fay, president for domestic distribution for
Summit.
In a statement Ms. Meyer said, “I don’t think any other author has had a more
positive experience with the makers of her movie adaptation than I have had.”
“Twilight,” directed by Catherine Hardwicke, instantly joined one of the most
exclusive clubs in Hollywood: movies that earn a profit within their first three
days of domestic release. The film cost $37 million to produce and an estimated
$30 million to market. And there is money still left to be counted.
International ticket sales look promising — Ms. Meyer’s books have sold 17
million copies worldwide — and expectations for the DVD are huge.
Experts said “Twilight” could struggle with what movie executives call
playability, or the ability to maintain box-office heat after the core fan base
has moved on. Mr. Fay said he hoped strong word of mouth among mothers would
keep ticket sales solid.
Summit, an upstart studio led by the co-chairmen Patrick Wachsberger and
Robert G. Friedman, announced plans on Saturday to begin production of “New
Moon,” an adaptation of the second of Ms. Meyer’s novels. A Summit spokesman
said that it was too early to say when “New Moon” would arrive in theaters.
“Twilight” trampled the competition, most notably “Bolt,” an expensive animated film from the Walt
Disney Company. That movie, featuring the voices of John
Travolta and Miley
Cyrus and overseen by the Pixar co-founder John
Lasseter, sold a disappointing $27 million in tickets.
Disney had hoped “Bolt” would signal a clear turnaround at its storied
animation department, which has labored mightily in recent years. The company
says it still thinks it can eventually put “Bolt” in the win column. “Word of
mouth should bode well over the Thanksgiving holiday and beyond,” said Heidi
Trotta, a studio spokeswoman.
In second place, behind “Twilight,” at the box office was “Quantum
of Solace,” the latest James Bond installment (from MGM and Sony Pictures). It sold $27.4 million in tickets for a new domestic total of $109.5
million. “Bolt” had to settle for third place, with “Madagascar:
Escape 2 Africa” (DreamWorks Animation) in the fourth position with $16 million ($137.4 million). “Role
Models” (Universal Pictures) rounded out the Top Five with $7.2 million ($48
million).