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Fans crave another bite with 'New Moon'

'Twilight' sequel fuels a frenzy among fans of the vampire tales.

Published online on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2009

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Those of you with an internal clock powered by the passion and pain of "Twilight" star-crossed lovers Bella and Edward know it's less than three weeks until the second movie based on Stephenie Meyer's books, "The Twilight Saga: New Moon," hits theaters.

Local fans packed the 16 screens for last year's "Twilight" midnight opener at the Edwards Fresno Stadium 22 & IMAX to make it the highest grossing movie complex in the country that night. The number was so high because Regal consolidated all its local screening at Edwards. This time around, the late-night showings also will be held at Manchester and Broadway Faire.

The 11 midnight screenings of "New Moon" planned for Nov. 19 have been sold out for weeks. Efforts are being made to secure additional screenings, and Edwards has scheduled a 3 a.m. Nov. 20 showing.

There are a few tickets left at the Sierra Vista 16 theater, but those too have been selling fast.

Nationally, the online ticket-buying site Fandango reports that "New Moon" has not yet surpassed presales for "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" but has shot past presales for the much-hyped "Michael Jackson's This Is It."

What's put "New Moon" in the same pop-culture frenzy as the "Star Wars" and "Harry Potter" movies? It's a combination of the popularity of Meyer's books, the success of the first movie, a flood of merchandising and fan obsession with the cast members, who have been in a constant spotlight since they started making the first "Twilight" movie.

The four Meyer books in the "Twilight" series were in the top 15 of USA Today's best-selling books database for Oct. 25: "New Moon" at No. 6, "Eclipse" at No. 9, "Twilight" at No. 14 and "Breaking Dawn" at No. 15. "New Moon" has been on the list for 163 consecutive weeks.

That book success has translated to the big screen. The theatrical release of "Twilight" a year ago earned more than $191 million in America and more than $382 million worldwide. That dollar total puts it ahead of such blockbusters as "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," "Batman Forever" and "Polar Express."

More than 9 million DVDs of "Twilight" have been sold to add another $165 million to the coffers.

The financial success doesn't take into consideration all of the books, calendars, games, action figures, clothes, posters, buttons and other items that have hit the market.

The film is even getting high-end advertising. Volvo launched a contest at www.WhatDrivesEdward.com where fans can enter to win a pair of tickets to the Los Angeles "New Moon" world premiere Nov. 16 and the chance to meet cast members. Another prize is a new Volvo XC60, just like the one vampire Edward Cullen drives.

Publicity for the film has been fanned intentionally and unintentionally.

Countless magazine covers, news entertainment shows and other media outlets have speculated about the cast, particularly the central stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, who have been romantically linked and unlinked.

Fans don't seem to care whether the publicity is on purpose or not. They are just eager to get any information they can.

This rabid obsession is not lost on the cast. Edi Gathegi, who plays the vampire Laurent, says he felt more pressure making the sequel because of the beast that the film franchise has become.

"In the first movie, we did the best that we could. We were equally enthusiastic working on 'New Moon,' but we did have a new director and a whole new crew. The big thing was there were more eyeballs on us. There has been paparazzi wherever we go," Gathegi says.

One of the unintentional fannings of the publicity flame came when "Twilight" director Catherine Hardwicke was replaced with Chris Weitz for "New Moon."

Jackson Rathbone was worried before "Twilight" was released if fans would accept him as the character of Jasper Hale. The response was so positive that he had no such concerns when he went to work on "New Moon."

Even Anna Kendrick and Michael Welch, who have the very limited roles as Bella's human friends, have seen their star power rise since "Twilight."

"This is the best of both worlds. We get to be part of this cultural juggernaut which will carry us along in our career and our lives, plus we get to live lives the way we want to," Welch says.

Kendrick says even normally jaded Los Angeles residents see her as a bigger star.

For those who want an extra Bella-Edward fix, Regal theaters have added a 9 p.m. screening of "Twilight" on Nov. 19.