"New Moon" Box Office a Box Office Blockbuster

New Moon box office records break all those set before. The movie broke the midnight showing box office record set by Harry Potter. The box office totals experienced this weekend are great news for producers and distributors, as well as those who will reap handsome royalties from the sale of New Moon tickets and products. While the Twilight sequel got dismal reviews from critics, the records set by the movie showcase that it's not what the critics think that matters - it's what the audience thinks.

Box office sales for the midnight showing totaled a whopping $26.3 million - more than some films make the whole time they are in theaters. According to the New York Post, the box office totals may have reached an astonishing $80 million on Friday. With opening weekend still chugging away, it is almost certain that the opening weekend for the film will reach triple digit millions in sales.

The Los Angeles Times estimates that New Moon box office sales will drop off during the rest of the weekend. It is not believed that the Twilight sequel will break the record weekend set by Dark Knight upon the death of actor Heath Ledger.

New Moon can thank tweenage girls for its success. Girls swoon over the misunderstood and mysterious Edward Cullen (played by Robert Pattinson), and secretly crush on bad-boy Jacob (played by Taylor Lautner). Team Edward and Team Jacob are a strong rivalry, causing may arguments between circles of 12 year old girls. Who will Bella pick? Edward the vampire or Jacob the werewolf?

Twilight is just another example of America's obsession with the undead. HBO's True Blood and also the Vampire Diaries are all popular shows. Twilight Series is based on a series of books, which had a strong following of readers before the books were made in to a film.

The movie has already almost reached box office estimates of $90. New estimates guess that the box office totals will amount to $110 to $120 million. Based on the fact that it has sold out screens all across the United States, I wouldn't be surprised if the sales amount to much, much more.

Like Transformers, New Moon is overcoming less-than-sparkling reviews from the critics and is becoming one of the year's most successful movies. Anticipation is already starting to build for the third Twilight series movie, Eclipse. Eclipse is scheduled to be released in June 2010.

Sources:

NYPost.com: "New Moon sets opening day box-office record"

LATimes.com: "New Moon eclipsing two box-office records"