Twilight expected to smash Thanksgiving box office records beating Bond to the top spot

By Lucy Buckland

PUBLISHED: 04:27 EST, 23 November 2012 | UPDATED: 05:00 EST, 23 November 2012


Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 is predicted to smash another box office record over the five-day Thanksgiving holiday.

The final in the Twilight saga already siphoned off $12.8 million in Wednesday night and collected $141.3 million last weekend in the industry's eighth largest opening weekend.

On Wednesday it combined with the Daniel Craig 'James Bond' film 'Skyfall' to lead a slate of films that generated $44.3 million in total U.S. and Canadian ticket sales for the day, according to unofficial data from Hollywood.com's box office division.

Box office record breaker: Breaking Dawn stars Kristen Stewart, left, and Robert Pattinson have attracted huge audiences

Box office record breaker: Breaking Dawn stars Kristen Stewart, left, and Robert Pattinson have attracted huge audiences

That's 20 percent ahead of last year's take for the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and, if the pace holds, would put Hollywood on a path to a $278 million holiday weekend, according to Hollywood.com estimates.

The 2009 holiday weekend record of $273 million included 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon' and the football flick, 'The Blind Side.'

Hollywood traditionally opens its largest Thanksgiving weekend films on Wednesday, when schools are closed before the Thursday holiday.

'Skyfall,' the 23rd film in the 'James Bond' series about the exploits of a British spy, collected $7.4 million in Wednesday showings.

Success: Twilight: Breaking Dawn is already 20 percent ahead of last year's total movie take, and this is before Thanksgiving weekend

Success: Twilight: Breaking Dawn is already 20 percent ahead of last year's total movie take, and this is before Thanksgiving weekend

Teen dream: The saga has attracted a popular following - Hollywood traditionally opens its largest Thanksgiving weekend films on Wednesday, when schools are closed before the Thursday holiday

Teen dream: The saga has attracted a popular following - Hollywood traditionally opens its largest Thanksgiving weekend films on Wednesday, when schools are closed before the Thursday holiday

Huge hit: Skyfall, starring Daniel Craig, is also expected to bring in more than $200million

Huge hit: Skyfall, starring Daniel Craig, is also expected to bring in more than $200million

Dreamworks Animation's 'Rise of the Guardians,' featuring the voices of Chris Pine and Alec Baldwin in a story about the Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny and other childhood characters that save the world, opened with $4.85 million in Wednesday sales.

'Twilight' and 'Skyfall' each easily appear headed to more than $200 million in box office sales. 'Skyfall,' released by Sony Pictures in association with MGM, has generated more than $178 million so far in domestic ticket sales through Wednesday, already making it the 10th biggest selling film of 2012.

'Twilight,' starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner, has totaled $175.5 million through Wednesday in the U.S. and Canada, according to the Hollywood.com unofficial tally. It was released by Lionsgate Entertainment.


 

 
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Loved all the Twilight films .... the story, characters in the film,music, how exciting to be part of all that at such a young age!!...never had all this when I was growing up!! all that are involved are so lucky!! how exciting! times have changed right enough,what an exiting experience it must have been for everyone involved.....I wish them all well after TWILIGHT.

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Go away twilight, your movies really suck.

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The best Twilight film still never made as much money as the worst Harry Potter film. If you like fantasy watch real fantasy and not a ribald vampire mockery. (Twilight fans will have to go look up the word ribald now as their author doesn't contribute to the greater vocabulary of its readers.) RIBALD = OBSCENE/INDECENT if Twilight is your version of Ribald then your just sad. Twilight fan :) - Shamiso , Edinburgh, United Kingdom, 23/11/2012 19:34 ---------------------- It's a pity Harry Potter didn't teach you the difference between "you're" and "your".

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The best Twilight film still never made as much money as the worst Harry Potter film. If you like fantasy watch real fantasy and not a ribald vampire mockery. (Twilight fans will have to go look up the word ribald now as their author doesn't contribute to the greater vocabulary of its readers.) RIBALD = OBSCENE/INDECENT if Twilight is your version of Ribald then your just sad. Twilight fan :)

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Never particularly enjoyed Twilight, but haven been dragged to see them all by friends I found they got better as they progressed, and I even teared a little at the end of this one, on the other hand I'm a massive Bond fan and was sourly disappointed with this film, therefore I think Twilight deserves to beat Bond on this occasion!

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Yes, I contributed the wealth of the actors and actresses seeing this movie.

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And they are not just for teenagers, because i am 55. - kaz , London, 23/11/2012 13:32. Like you I'm in my fifties and now a twihard! :-). I was also drawn into watching the dvds last year by my son's girlfriend ( who probably wanted an excuse to watch them for the zillionth tine!) and have been a fan ever since. It's actually an old fashoned love story with a twist. So what if it's not plausible, we all need a good does of escapism sometimes!

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Love skyfall, love thanksgiving, but what i really want to watch is breaking dawn. Skyfall was a bit hard to inderstand at the beginning since i have not seen any other bond movies - thanksgiving has a great plot. But since i am a former twihard, i would love to see bd2.

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Society has become feminised, and as a result has gone straight down the gurgler. 50 shades of dross is the best selling novel of all time, wouldn't surprise me if this piece of trash becomes the film equivalent.

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The best Twilight film still never made as much money as the worst Harry Potter film. If you like fantasy watch real fantasy and not a ribald vampire mockery. (Twilight fans will have to go look up the word ribald now as their author doesn't contribute to the greater vocabulary of its readers.)

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