Twilight Saga: New Moon pulls in $140.7 million

 

Those 20 midnight showings of "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" at AMC-Loews at the Waterfront were just the tip of the box office iceberg.

From the Associated Press:

The vampire romance "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" sucked up $140.7 million in its first three days and pulled in a total of $258.8 million worldwide, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The No. 1 domestic debut for Summit Entertainment's "New Moon" was more than twice the $69.6 million haul over the same weekend last year for "Twilight," the first in the franchise based on Stephenie Meyer's novels.

"New Moon" placed third on the all-time domestic chart behind last year's $158.4 million opening weekend for the Batman blockbuster "The Dark Knight" and 2007's $151.1 million haul for "Spider-Man 3."

On Friday, "New Moon" set an all-time domestic high for opening day with $72.7 million, topping the previous record of $67.2 million had been held by last year's "The Dark Knight."

Overseas, "New Moon" debuted in 25 countries and took in $118.1 million.

"New Moon" continues the story of teen romance between a school girl and a vampire (Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson), with the sequel adding a love triangle with a teen werewolf (Taylor Lautner).

"The Blind Side" opened at No. 2 with $34.5 million and "2012" earned $26.5 million. Rounding out the top five according to early box office reports: "Planet 51" with $12.6 million and "A Christmas Carol," $12.2 million.