New Moon vs. Dark Knight: the Twilight Sequel

Can the Sequel to the Hit Vampire film Twilight Dethrone Batman?

Aug 23, 2009 Paul Counelis

When the vampire film Twilight hit theaters, everyone knew it would do good box office. The book had a huge following. Can the sequel surpass the first and knock off TDK?

When New Moon, the highly anticipated sequel to Twilight, debuts on November 20th, expect a lot of film-goers to snatch up tickets in throngs. But will it be enough to reach the record setting numbers of 2008's The Dark Knight?

Dark Knight Conquers

After Batman Begins, there was no doubt that a sequel to the Christopher Nolan Bat-origin would be coming. It did well at the box office and critics responded in kind. When Heath Ledger was announced as the Joker, interest in the upcoming film got even higher, as fans wondered if the young actor could take the reins from Jack Nicholson, who played the deranged clown in Tim Burton's 1989 film.

Tragically, before the film was released, Ledger passed away. His performance took on an even greater importance, and when The Dark Knight was released in July 2008, box office records began falling at an alarming rate. On opening weekend alone, numerous records were achieved, including most theaters, opening day midnight tally, and of course, opening weekend (edging out 2007's comic book blockbuster, Spider-Man 3). When all was said and done, The Dark Knight had taken in an inconceivable $1 Billion worldwide, placing it at 4th in the all time tally (per imdb).

Twilight Begins

Stephenie Meyer's vampire saga Twilight was launched later in 2008, and compared to the success of TDK, made a "modest" $351 Million worldwide to place it at the all time #151 spot. What's happened since that film hit theaters? Well...a LOT of Twilight Mania. The film garnered new fans for the franchise by the millions, and when the sequel, New Moon, was announced, the hype and anticipation began to swell immediately.

Fans of Twilight are loyal, knowledgeable, and recruit like nobody's business. They throw "Twilight parties", in which everyone gathers to watch the film, discuss the books, and socialize, and they bring new fans into the fold on a daily basis.

New Moon Harvest?

So when the sequel to the beloved vampire film is released, will it come anywhere near the tally of TDK? Can it smash the expectations set by the first film? Domestic box office will be great, obviously. The Twilight phenomenon isn't going anywhere anytime soon. But in order to topple TDK, New Moon will need a lot of good word of mouth, positive critical reaction, and especially those rabid Twilight fans, bringing curious "new blood" into the theaters to see what all the hype is about for themselves.

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