'New Moon' wolfs down competition on opening weekend

The Twilight Saga: New Moon gobbled up $140.7 million the first three days the vampire romance was in theatres, while gaining (US)$258.8 million worldwide, according to studio estimates.

New Moon placed third on the all-time domestic chart behind last year's $158.4 million opening weekend for the Batman blockbuster The Dark Knight and 2007's $151.1 million haul for Spider-Man 3.

Among the top-10 all-time openings, New Moon is the only one that came outside of Hollywood's busiest time, the summer season. The movie adaptation of Stephenie Meyer's next "Twilight" chapter, Eclipse, arrives in the heart of summer, next June 30.

The No. 1 domestic debut for Summit Entertainment's New Moon was more than twice the $69.6 million haul over the same weekend last year for Twilight, the first in the franchise based on Meyer's novels.

"Obviously, with the success of Twilight itself, sequels being what they are will generate X-number of dollars more, particularly if it's a satisfying sequel," said Richie Fay, head of distribution for Summit.

On Friday, New Moon set an all-time domestic high for opening day with $72.7 million, topping the previous record of $67.2 million by last year's The Dark Knight.

Overall, Hollywood had its second-biggest non-holiday weekend ever, with final numbers expected to come in slightly behind the $260 million the industry rang up over the weekend of July 18, 2008, when The Dark Knight opened.

Compared to the same weekend last year, business was up 59 percent.

New Moon continues the story of teen romance between a school girl (Kristen Stewart) and a lust-worthy vampire (Robert Pattinson), with the sequel adding a love triangle with teen werewolf Jacob (Taylor Lautner).

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Opening at No. 2 domestically this weekend was the Warner Bros. football drama The Blind Side with $34.5 million. The film stars Sandra Bullock in the real-life story of Baltimore Ravens tackle Michael Oher, who was a homeless teen taken in by a wealthy family and enrolled in private school.

The previous weekend's top movie, Sony's disaster tale 2012, slipped to third-place with $26.5 million, raising its domestic total to $108.2 million. Worldwide, 2012 has taken in $449.8 million.

In limited release, Penelope Cruz and director Pedro Almodovar's latest collaboration, Broken Embraces, opened big with $107,597 in two theatres for a $53,799 average. The Sony Pictures Classics romantic drama centers on a blind screenwriter relating the story of a lost love.

Nicolas Cage and director Werner Herzog's dark crime thriller Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans opened with $257,267 in 27 theatres, averaging $9,528 a cinema. Released by First Look Studios, Bad Lieutenant is the story of a drug-crazed cop on a manic murder investigation.

The huge spike in business this weekend sets the stage for big crowds over (American) Thanksgiving, one of the busiest periods of the year at theatres.

Along with New Moon and other holdover movies such as Jim Carrey's holiday-themed A Christmas Carol, new releases for Thanksgiving include the Robin Williams-John Travolta comedy Old Dogs and the post-apocalypse drama The Road.

After a strong run in limited release, George Clooney's animated comedy Fantastic Mr. Fox expands into nationwide release.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theatres, according to Hollywood.com.

North American Top Ten

1. The Twilight Saga: New Moon, $140.7 million.

2. The Blind Side, $34.5 million.

3. 2012, $26.5 million.

4. Planet 51, $12.6 million.

5. Disney's A Christmas Carol, $12.2 million.

6. Precious: Based on the Novel `Push' by Sapphire, $11 million.

7. The Men Who Stare at Goats, $2.8 million.

8. Couples Retreat, $2 million.

9. The Fourth Kind, $1.7 million.

10. Law Abiding Citizen, $1.6 million.