As reported here, the adaptation of the first film in the four-book Twilight series has moved from December 12th to the vacated November 21st spot. Smart move on the part of mini-studio Summit Entertainment. The legions of young girls (and adult women) who have made this series a mega-smash have made this the second-biggest kids film of the season, behind High School Musical 3. So now, within two days of the date-change heard 'round the world, two of the bigger remaining films of the holiday season, Twilight and Bolt, have both raced to the prime weekend before Thanksgiving weekend slot so recently vacated by The Boy Who Lived. Make no mistake, this is no Dark Is Rising, or even a Golden Compass or Spiderwick Chronicles. Twilight is a literary phenom and the opening weekend alone will put Summit Entertainment on the map as a major player.Free tip - middle school boys, high school boys, and predatory lecherous men: this is the place to be to score on the weekend before Thanksgiving, as well as several weekends after.
Small problem... the last book in the teenage girl loves a chaste vampire series, Breaking Dawn, is allegedly terrible, earning scathing responses from critics and fans alike. How will this affect the grosses of the first film in the series? I haven't a clue, as this is a completely unique situation. At least the last 3 Harry Potter films have the advantage of actually having a well-liked finale. And the other major fantasy film series (Lord Of The Rings, Chronicles Of Narnia) had their endings set in stone decades before the films.
Anyway, this is an interesting development and yes, the November 26th date, over the actual Thanksgiving weekend, is still more or less empty (The Transporter 3 and Milk are now the main attractions).
Scott Mendelson
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