UPDATE 2-Smash 'Twilight' sequel enters record books
* "Twilight" sequel earns $140.7 million
* Women account for 80 percent of audience
* Sandra Bullock film outperforms at a distant No. 2
(recasts lead, adds other movies)
LOS ANGELES, Nov 22 (Reuters) - The "Twilight" sequelscored the third-biggest opening weekend of all time at theNorth American box office on Sunday, as millions of young womenswooned over the complex love triangle involving a high schoolgirl, a vampire and a werewolf.
"The Twilight Saga: New Moon" earned an estimated $140.7million during its first three days of release across theUnited States and Canada, closely held distributor SummitEntertainment said, crushing industry expectations.
The record for an opening is $158 million, set last year bythe Batman sequel "The Dark Knight." The 2007 movie "Spider-Man3" follows with $151 million. "New Moon" replaced "Pirates ofthe Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" ($136 million) at No. 3.
The vampire romance is well on its way to exceeding the$193 million total of its predecessor, "Twilight," which wasreleased exactly a year ago.
Summit Entertainment said "New Moon" also set anopening-day record with Friday sales of $72.7 million,surpassing the $67.2 million haul of "The Dark Knight."
That tally was bolstered by record-breaking midnight salesof $26.3 million. The old mark was set earlier this year by"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" with $22.2 million.
A FEW MORE MEN
The closely held studio said "New Moon" also earned $118.1million from 25 foreign markets. Data from individual countrieswere not immediately available.
Exit-polling data in North America indicated that womenaccounted for 80 percent of the audience and half the audiencewas under 21. Summit said male moviegoers increased their shareby a couple of percentage points, and the new film also broughtin a few more older women.
"New Moon" revisits the dangerous romance between highschool student Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) and vampire EdwardCullen (Robert Pattinson).
After falling in love with each other in "Twilight," Bellaand Edward break up in "New Moon." Bella hooks up with JacobBlack (Taylor Lautner), an American Indian who is also awerewolf. Jacob protects Bella, but she still longs for thegentle blood-sucker Edward. Chris Weitz directed the $50million project.
Reviews were largely scathing, but the franchise isconsidered critic-proof. Indeed, the stars have become sexsymbols whose real-life romances with each other (Stewart andPattinson) or with country star Taylor Swift (Lautner) havelong been gossip-column fodder. Fans lined up outside theatersdays before the sequel opened.
The "Twilight" film franchise is based on a series of fournovels of the same name by Stephenie Meyer, which her publishersays have sold 85 million copies worldwide. A third film,"Eclipse," is due in June.
Also new at the box office was the Sandra Bullock familydrama "The Blind Side" at a distant No. 2 with $34.5 million,the best opening of her career. The fact-based movie wasreleased by Time Warner Inc's (TWX.N) Warner Bros. Pictures onbehalf of independent producer Alcon Entertainment. Bullockplays a Tennessee housewife who transforms a homeless blackteenager into a high-school football star.
The cartoon "Planet 51" opened at No. 4 with a modest $12.6million, playing almost exclusively to parents and youngchildren.
Last weekend's champion, the disaster movie "2012," fell toNo. 3 with $26.5 million, taking its 10-day haul to $108.2million. The picture led the foreign box office for a secondweekend with $100.5 million; its foreign tally soared to $341.1million. Both "Planet 51" and "2012" were released by ColumbiaPictures, a unit of Sony Corp (6758.T) (SNE.N).
Walt Disney Co's (DIS.N) stop-motion adaptation of "AChristmas Carol" fell three places to No. 5 with $12.2 millionin its third weekend; its tally stands at $79.8 million.(Editing by Bill Trott and Jackie Frank) ((For a chart on the top 10, click on [ID:nN15222462]))((Los Angeles newsroom; +1-213-380-2014))
Source: Reuters
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