 "Photo: Courtesy Summit Entertainment")
“Twilight” fans hit theaters in record numbers Friday, giving “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” one of the biggest opening weekends in film history.
Friday’s single-day box office gross of $72.7 million set a record, beating “The Dark Knight’s” previous record of $67.2 million. “New Moon” is likely to finish the weekend with $140.7 million according to studio estimates, good for third all-time behind “The Dark Knight” and “Spiderman 3.”
Moviegoers in Madison were no different than the rest of the nation, selling out every showing and dressing up for the occasion. With large lines, rhythmic chants and raucous crowds, “New Moon” proved teenage girls can create just as big a box office stir as teenage boys, the demographic largely responsible for the strong openings of “The Dark Knight” and “Spiderman 3,” among others.
Diana Savage, Daily Cardinal features editor, attended the midnight showing of “New Moon” at Marcus Theaters’ Point Cinema.
“I really liked the midnight experience,” Savage said. “I’ve been to ‘Harry Potter’ midnight showings too, and this was even bigger and wilder than those.”
Mark Riechers, an assistant manager at Point Cinema and Daily Cardinal film critic, said every showing for “New Moon” through Friday was sold out by the time he got to work at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. Point had midnight showings both Thursday and Friday, hoping to capitalize on the rabid following Stephanie Meyer’s books have garnered over the years.
As can be expected with any large event, the midnight showings at Point did not go down without some problems.
“We had people attempting to start raves in the theater, and one older woman had a boom box blasting the ‘Twilight’ soundtrack,” Riechers said. “When we took it away from her, she claimed we were anti-‘Twilight.’”
Some college students who wanted to get some reading done while in line for the film were surprised when they were let into the auditorium at 8:30. Unfortunately, the theater was pitch black, save for a few groups who were watching the first “Twilight” film on laptops.
Once the film started, the crowds proved to be a bit too much for some moviegoers.
“My theater experience was terrible,” said Daily Cardinal Photo Editor Isabel Alvarez. “There were a ton of girls laughing about every single line. I loved the movie, but I wish the crowd hadn’t been so crazy.”
Audiences seemed to react especially strongly to Jacob Black, a werewolf played by Taylor Lautner.
“There was a lot of catcalls when Jacob came on screen,” Savage said. “I actually missed lines because it was so loud.”
Despite the miscues, Madison’s premiere of “New Moon” proved that film studios can rely on the teen girl audience. National statistics estimate girls aged 13 to 19 made up close to 80 percent of the audience, and Madison seemed no different.
“I’d say about 75 percent of the theater was teenyboppers,” Savage said. “The last quarter was a mix of college girls, older women and a few unlucky boyfriends.”
With the film garnering $140.7 million in one weekend, there will surely be many more “Twilight” films to come. While fans will rejoice at such a strong opening, some were less enthused.
“It was probably one of the worst experiences of my life,” Riechers said. “If I never had to go through another ‘Twilight’ opening, it would be too soon.”
Be the first to comment on this article!