Twilight Box Office: Selling Out And Breaking Records

Last films of popular franchises often do well at the box office, as evidenced by the success of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2, which is the last of the Twilight series, premiered in theaters at 10 PM on Thursday, and judging by early box office reports, the film appears to be on its way to setting records for the Twilight franchise. Comicbook.com checked with several local theaters, most of which reported large crowds and sold out shows. Some theaters had been worried that people might not turn out for a late night movie showing after the tragic shootings in Aurora this summer during a midnight screening. However, this did not appear to be the case at most theaters, as fans flooded theaters to say goodbye to the Twilight series. It's possible that the earlier 10 PM showing on Thursday helped ease concerns, as well as making it more convenient for fans going to work or attending school on Friday morning. While the 10 PM showings on Thursday were proving most popular at the theaters we checked, the midnight screenings on Friday were also doing robust business. According to Fandango, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2 represented 92% of yesterday's ticket sales. Fandango also reported that thousands of showtimes sold out completely across the country. While fans await the official box office numbers from Thursday's 10 PM showing and Friday's midnight showing, most box office experts are predicting between a low of $130 million to a high of $150 million for the film at this weekend's box office. The majority seem to be predicting that it will at least break the previous Twilight franchise record opening weekend record of $142,839,137 set by The Twilight Saga: New Moon.  Our prediction is that given the recent success of event type pictures at theaters Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 will finish on the high side of estimates, bringing in $150 million plus in its opening weekend.