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November 18, 2008

'Twilight' comes to life

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Were there really any lessons learned when Hollywood completely underestimated the fervor of the "Sex and the City" loyalists? Maybe. There's that sequel talk, after all. (And the constant drum from Gold Rush readers about an Oscar nom for Sarah Jessica Parker -- go girl!).

But "Twilight" may be a different animal altogether. Passed over by two major studios -- Paramount and then 20th Century Fox's teen-targeted Fox Atomic -- it's getting its release from newbie Summit Entertainment this week, and THR is reporting that there are more than 1,100 sold-out shows between advance ticket buys on Fandango and MovieTickets.

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How you like it now?

Some 2,500 fans in various stages of hysteria and sleep deprivation (scores camped out since Sunday) descended on Westwood for last night's premiere, where director Catherine Hardwicke said the boxoffice needs to be boffo in order to get a green light for the sequel.

That might not be a problem, since opening weekend estimates are now ranging from $40 million-$60 million, which would put it in the rarefied air of "High School Musical" and "Harry Potter" in the annals of tween devotion. But hey, the higher end of that range practically gets it to "Quantum of Solace" territory.

From all this heavy breathing springs one bit of sour news. Brother blogger Steven Zeitchik cornered Stephenie Meyer, the Mormon mom who spawned all this mania by writing four novels about high schooler Bella who falls for vampire Edward, at last night's premiere party, and she dropped a bomb.

She's not writing book No. 5.

That aborted attempt, if we're to believe what was leaked onto the Interwebs, was the love story told from Edward's perspective, dubbed "Midnight Sun." She told Zeitchik, "Maybe in 10 years I'll get lonely without vampires. Right now I want to do other things."

More on last night's activities, plus a mini-review here.

 

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Comments

Paul Primera

I understand that Stephenie Meyer is only using vampirism as a vehicle for the teenage love story, and while it's impossible to argue the commercial success of Twilight, with each new iteration of evolving vampire lore, we seem to sell the integrity of the mythos for the price of a caricature. Isn't it time for a smarter vampire story? www.InParisDark.com

Paul Primera

I understand that Stephenie Meyer is only utilizing the vampire as vehicle for her teenage romance story, and while it's impossible to argue the commercial success of Twilight (my wife loves the stuff!), it seems to me that with each new iteration of evolving vampire lore we sell the integrity of the ancient mythos for the price of a caricature. Isn't it time for a smarter vampire story? www.InParisDark.com

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Oscar Contenders

  • So "The Dark Knight" didn't make it into the final five after all, never mind that critical and popular support. Let's just call the comic-inspired mega-hit "The Biggest Snubee."

    Here are the best picture contenders in a race that, two weeks away from the Oscars, seems to be a foregone conclusion ("Slumdog") unless there's a come-from-behind possibility ("The Reader" anyone?)

    "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," with Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett; the politically timely "Milk;" rags-to-riches fairy tale, "Slumdog Millionaire," Holocaust best-seller-based drama "The Reader," and Watergate-era biopic "Frost/Nixon."

    Could "Button" and "Slumdog" split the vote, allowing another film to take the prize? Doesn't seem likely. After having clung to "Button" for months as what we thought would be the Academy voters' top vhoice, our money's now on "Slumdog." Momentum can't be ignored.

    Watch this blog for updates, ephemera and all manner of postulating.

Picture this

  • Mmmmm, chocolate Oscar. Not every star will walk away from the 81st annual Academy Awards with a trophy, but if they hit the high-profile Governor's Ball they can have pastry chef Sherry Yard's gold-dusted candy version. Also on the menu from celeb chef Wolfgang Puck is tuna tartare in sesame miso cones, chopped Chino Farms vegetable salad with ginger soy vinaigrette, Maine lobster and caviar. Serve it up! (Getty Images)

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