'New Moon' Sets New Box-Office Record For Midnight Screenings

20 Nov 2009

Thursday night's $26.3 million take breaks record set by 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.'

In "New Moon," Bella is filled with confusion as Edward leaves her, Jacob Black makes his move and the nomad vampires continue to surround Forks. When it comes to Twilighters and the box office, however, there is no such indecision — and the results are already showing in record-setting numbers.

Summit Entertainment is reporting that the "Twilight" sequel opened on Thursday night to an unprecedented $26.3 million during its midnight screenings across the country. The film unspooled on 3,514 screens, playing at 12:01 a.m. for die-hard fans — many of whom arrived at the theaters dressed as their favorite characters.

That total handily beats the midnight-screening record of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." This seems to vindicate "Twilight" star Jackson Rathbone, who famously responded to our question of whether Stephenie Meyer's franchise could take on J.K. Rowling's juggernaut, "I don't know; they've got brooms."

In case you need further proof that "Twilight" is the new "Potter," look no further than the recent news that "New Moon" set the record for most presold tickets before opening day, or that the movie's soundtrack charted at #1. Or that a one-day re-release of "Twilight" grossed $1.3 million on 2,057 screens on Thursday. And so, the lion fell in love with the lamb, and moviegoers fell in love with the "Twilight" series.

"New Moon" is the second installment in the "Twilight Saga" series that is scheduled to release "Eclipse" next summer and almost inevitably "Breaking Dawn" sometime after that. In addition to the box-office numbers, the opinions of the fans so far seem to be mostly favorable, and even Kurt Loder seems to like it more than the original film. Stay tuned to MTV News throughout the weekend, as we'll continue bringing you the very latest news on the "New Moon" box-office receipts.

Credit: MTV

'New Moon' Director Chris Weitz Hopes Fans Won't Spoil The Ending

20 Nov 2009

'The final scene is extraordinarily emotional, and it leads to a very potent climax,' he tells MTV News.

NEW YORK — Fans pretty much know what they are getting themselves into when they head to theaters to see "New Moon" this weekend. If they have read the book, they have a good idea of how this part of the "Twilight Saga" comes to an end.

Still, director Chris Weitz hopes fans appreciate the way he has decided to craft the "New Moon" finale for the big screen.

"The final scene is extraordinarily emotional, and it leads to a very potent climax," he told MTV News on the red carpet of the NYC screening of "New Moon." "And it's kind of a spoiler, which I hope people won't give away."

The film ends in a specific way, with Bella and Edward sharing a very special moment, and he said the way it appears onscreen was determined very carefully. "Everything about it was planned to reach that ultimate moment," he said.

Weitz was not only excited about the film's ending, but also the way it all came together as a complete piece. He's really hoping Twilighters approve.

"I feel really good about the final product," he said. "I feel it was as close to the final product as I could make it, which was an honest version of the book and something that a fan would appreciate. So it's not made for any particular demographic, except for the reader of the book who really wants to see it visualized."

Credit: MTV

'New Moon' Ending Surprises Fans Who Read The Book

20 Nov 2009

*Beware of possible spoiler on video!
'Everyone just screamed and was shocked that it ended,' one Twilighter reports.

"New Moon" director Chris Weitz seems pretty pleased with the way he ended the second movie in the "Twilight Saga." But the fans who have already gotten a chance to see the movie are still reeling from Weitz's directorial decision. Not to give too much away, but some said it wasn't the conclusion they'd expected.

"I was really surprised by the ending, the way they kept us hanging like that," Jordana de la Cruz from Rhode Island told MTV News, after seeing a midnight screening in New York. "I hated it, but I liked it at the same time."

Several fans who had read Stephenie Meyer's novels regarded the movie's ending, which involves Edward and Bella on the verge of something big, as the biggest surprise in the whole movie. "The book had more to the ending, and I liked where they left it here, like a cliff-hanger for the next one that's coming out," Twilight Mom Sandy Moffit from Illinois told us.

Jillian Rovrer from Daytona Beach, Florida, told us that though she was surprised by the ending, "it wasn't as exciting as other parts of the movie. It was to be expected."

Although the fans didn't want to give too much away when asked about it, they did reveal that fellow Twilighters are going to have the rug pulled out from under them. "I wouldn't. ... it's a spoiler, but the way it ended, what happened before the blackout, is the big deal," Habiba Tinubu said. "Everyone just screamed and was shocked that it ended."

Credit: MTV

'New Moon' Cast Reveal Their Favorite Scenes

20 Nov 2009

Taylor Lautner is 'intoxicating,' Nikki Reed says.

NEW YORK — "New Moon" fans will probably walk out of theaters this weekend with a concrete idea of which scene is their favorite. And, as it turns out, it's no different for the stars of the flick. Some favor the vampy scenes, while others still can't get over Taylor Lautner's magnetism.

"I liked when Jacob transforms into the werewolf," Peter Facinelli revealed to MTV News. "When I was reading the book — I mean, your imagination goes so far, and I was like, 'I can't wait to see that in the film,' and it didn't disappoint."

Facinelli also loved getting to see the scene with the film's soundtrack worked in. "I saw an early cut of it, and I loved that cut," he explained. "And it was pretty similar, except it had all the music laid into it. I've been listening to the soundtrack, so it's been pretty cool."

Credit: MTV

Gallery Update - Kristen & Nikki Attend 'New Moon' Screening in NYC

19 Nov 2009

Today (November 19), Kristen and Nikki attending a screening of 'New Moon' in New York City.

Gallery Update - Kristen & Taylor at Knoxville 'New Moon' Event

19 Nov 2009

I've added 32 high quality photos of Kristen and Taylor attending the Knoxville 'New Moon' Event.

Video: Preview to Robert's Appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show

19 Nov 2009

Can't wait to see the whole interview! Pretty funny so far. Airs tomorrow.

Interview: Taylor Lautner Talks New Moon and Valentine's Day

19 Nov 2009

Film.com posted an interview today with Taylor Lautner:

CH: But those scenes in the forest, all that cold rain. Putting on or losing weight is hard enough, but working in those kind of conditions, half-naked, couldn't have been much fun.

TL: Yeah, the challenging thing is Jacob is supposed to be extremely hot, so he's not supposed to feel cold at all. And the worst scene for that was the rain scene, the breakup scene where Bella first sees Jacob after his transformation. We're standing on this little hill right behind Jacob's house, and it was 35 degrees, and it was pouring rain on top of us, not regular rain, rain tower rain, which comes straight from the springs. And the scene was very long. It took four minutes to film the scene, and we filmed the same scene all day long. So it was really, really rough. It was hard. And as soon as we'd call cut, we'd run over to a heater quick and wrap ourselves in blankets, and we'd have, like, two minutes off before we'd have to go do another take. So the weather was definitely extremely challenging. I just had to take myself to another world so during the scene I wasn't sitting there shivering. It was hard. Sometimes I'd catch myself, and I'd have to stop.

Time Magazine Q&A: Director Chris Weitz

19 Nov 2009

Time has a brief Q&A with Chris Weitz:

How much Twi had you spoken prior to the film?
Like many people with a Y chromosome, I hadn't delved into the Twilight books. I tried to experience the books in the way that I thought the average reader would — which is to gobble them. The way that you read a book at 13 is different. You read it at a gallop, while you are eating. You avoid human contact. I read New Moon over the course of a day and a half in Ojai, Calif., at a very crunchy retreat that included a sweat lodge. Actually, my only pause was for a sweat lodge during which I asked the Quileute ancestors to come and give me good luck. Somewhere Jacob Black was pleased. I was channeling Team Jacob because he needs it in this movie. Everyone already knows about Edward.

Pattinson, Stewart and Lautner Talk `Twilight'

19 Nov 2009

ABC News has an interview with the trio - Kristen, Robert, and Taylor. Click "read more" to read the entire interview.

AP: What is the best thing to come out of the "Twilight" mania for you?

Stewart: It's the same satisfaction that I get from any other movie, it's just that so many more people are paying attention. I always say I make movies for the life experience — literally, you steal from the characters you play — and to know that that's actually affecting 100 million not only little girls, but really spans the ages of people, it just feels good. It's so different from anything I've ever experienced, so that's definitely the best thing.

Pattinson: Presenting at the Oscars and stuff, it's just kind of so surreal. But there's little things, like recently I've been working on the "Remember Me" trailer and I had very little time to organize it, but the control you're given because of "Twilight's" success is kind of incredible. It is an amazing feeling.

Lautner: It's traveling the world in general and seeing this kind of fan support worldwide. We go to Sao Paolo, Brazil, and then we go to Mexico City, we go all over the world and we have fans there with the same amount of passion everywhere we go. It's just amazing to know we have that kind of fan support behind us.

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