Twilight Almost Misses Franchise Record

The box office is lifeless no more: "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1" opened to $139 million domestically this weekend.

The fourth installment in Summit's vampire-and-werewolf movie had the franchise's second best three-day opening ever, behind 2009's "New Moon" ($142.8 million in November 2009). And it had the third-best opening Friday ever, grossing $71.4 milli -- behind only this year's "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" and the 2009 "Twilight" movie "New Moon."

"Breaking Dawn's" international numbers were as strong as its domestic ones. The movie grossed $144 million in 54 territories, giving it a worldwide box office total of $283.5 million in just three days. The movie cost about $110 million to make.

While "Breaking Dawn" tore into the weekend, the animated penguins of Warner Bros.' "Happy Feet Two" grossed only about $22.3 million, according to rival-studio estimates.

Relativity Media's "Immortals," meanwhile, grossed $12.2 million in its second weekend of release -- a 62 percent drop.

Also read: 'Breaking Dawn' Premiere: Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner Steal the Show

Summit's president of domestic distribution, Richie Fay, told TheWrap Sunday that the fourth installment of any franchise can be a little worrisome.

"There's a definite interest in wanting to continue to see the series," he said. "The fact that our audience is aging up a little bit, the impulse to get out and see it on the first weekend isn't necesarilly there the way it has been. To me, that means that the holdover should be much better."

"Breaking Dawn's audience was 80 percent female and 60 percent older than 21.

According to moviegoer survey firm CinemaScore, the movie graded out at a so-so "B-plus" among all age and gender groups.

On the strength of "Breaking Dawn," the box office was up 14 percent this weekend compared to the same weekend last year.

"In a period where it's been ... a down cycle of growth, we've got the public interested in a movie again -- and in going to movies as we approach Thanksgiving and obviously Christmas," Fay said.

Source reuters