In case the long lines outside your local multiplex haven’t tipped you off, “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” opened on Wednesday and it’s huge.
The film shattered midnight screening records on Wednesday night, hauling in nearly $30 million dollars and it looks like the massive crowds didn’t stop coming. The Wednesday tally for the film ended up at $68.5 million. Again, “Twilight: Eclipse” earned $68.5 million in 24 hours. Good lord. That news is certainly making Summit happy because that number is just a touch above the $68 million budget for the film.
In a summer where tentpoles and blockbusters are underperforming left and right, certainly the big studios are looking at Summit enviously for continuing to build on the success of their franchise. We have give them props for their simple yet effective approach of keeping their costs manageable. Here’s some comparison math for you: “The Last Airbender,” which is supposed to the a franchise launcher cost $280 million when you factor in marketing costs. Insane.
Most estimates expect “Twilight: Eclipse” to surpass “Spider-Man 2” for the record of biggest six-day July 4th open, which should put the figure around $200 million (or, enough money to put “The Last Airbender 2” into production).