Ever since
the movie “Twilight” opened in United States theaters on November 21, fans of
the vampire film, mostly teenage girls, have filled the cinemas to watch the
love story between Bella Swan and Edward Cullen unfurl.
Bella, a
high school girl searching for something different in her life, refusing to go
with the trend set or followed by her peers, comes to live with her father Charlie
in Forks, Washington, after her mother remarries and moves to Florida with her
husband.
There, she
meets Edward, a witty, handsome and brooding man whom she later falls in love
with. Nevertheless, Edward, just like any other guy who seems too good to be
true, has a dark secret that could come to stand in their way: he is actually a
vampire who has not aged since 1918, part of clan of vampires that don’t feed
on human blood, hunting down animals instead.
Even so,
his underlying lust for human blood slowly begins to surface as Edward and
Bella grow fonder of each other, which puts the teenage girl in danger and also
threatens their relationship.
“Twilight” is
based on a novel by Stephenie Meyer, which is part of series that sold
over 17 million copies worldwide, with 8.5 million only in the United
States. Moreover, the series was translated
into 20 different languages so far.
The book was adapted into a screenplay by Melissa Rosenberg
back in 2007, while Catherine Hardwicke, 53, directed the vampire movie that
managed to sink its teeth into some pretty amazing opening earnings.
The production cost less than $40 million to make, while its
box-office revenue exceeded pundits’ predictions, with $69.6 million during its
debut week-end.
Moreover, within its first 10 days in theaters, „Twilight” brought
in approximately $100 million, which rendered it to be this movie season’s breakout
hit.
Consequently, director Catherine Hardwicke has come to hold
the record for best opening-weekend box office for a female director.
As for a much desired „Twilight” sequel, Summit
Entertainment NV, the film studio that produced the film, is scheduled to work
with Hardwicke yet again, on the movie „New Moon.” The latter, an adaptation of
Stephenie Meyer’s second novel in the „Twilight” series, will be partially shot
in Rome and will feature more special effects than its predecessor.
Kristen Stewart, who portrays Bella Swan, and Robert Pattinson, who plays Edward Cullen, are
currently the only actors announced to be returning for „New Moon,” for a story
about losing true love.
The novel “New
Moon” was first released in 2006 and it rose to the no.1 position on the
New York Times Bestseller List
for Children's Chapter Books during the book’s second week on the list, having
remained on top for eleven weeks in a row, out of a total 30 it was featured in
it.
“Twilight”
also starred Kellan Lutz (Emmet Cullen), Ashley Greene (Alice Cullen),
Peter Facinelli (Dr. Carlisle Cullen) and Billy Burke (Charlie Swan).