Eclipse sinks fangs into box office records.
Woody and Buzz slipped quietly into the sunset Friday, eclipsed by spectacular overnight box office for the third movie in “The Twilight Saga.” Eclipse, subject of more pre-lease buzz than any two normal films generally produce, collected more than $30 million(USD) from midnight showings, and it earned more than $1 million(USD) from midnight IMAX screenings. Both tills blow away the previous records for late-night/early morning revenue. Naturally, Hollywood accountants predict that it will rule the July Fourth holiday weekend, and they predict more records will fall as werewolves, the Cullen clan, and a new breed of vampires enthrall willing audiences.
Based on the series of best-selling young adult novels, the Twilight Saga combines super-natural horror and suspense with steamy teen romance. “Think of it as Harry Potter discovers Cialis,” quipped one reviewer, continuing, “Eclipse keeps its respectability by burying undeniable passion and sensuality between the lines. The Romance genre worked to perfection, the movie definitely proves the provocative power of suggestion.” Not surprisingly, ‘tween and teen girls predominated in late-night audiences, but many moms willingly, eagerly tagged along, as enchanted with the characters and stories as their daughters. Wise boyfriends set aside their preference for action movies, taking their happy dates and probably taking notes as Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner demonstrated the finer points of heroism.
Eclipse has garnered more than its share of praise from critics, who grudgingly admit that, above and beyond its irresistible teen appeal, the movie has some merit—a good, well-developed plot, “pretty” photography and cinematography, and decent performances from its three wildly popular young stars. The word “pretty” frequently has appeared in reviews, ironic in light of the movie’s macabre subject matter and frequent periods of abject darkness. In fact, one critic very grudgingly conceded, “Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner may actually have some talent hiding behind those too-too-pretty faces.”
Actually, I find the adaptation of the story in film poor and disappointing. The film cuts out too many scenes and dialogues between characters that are in the book. I truly hope the screen play of Breaking Dawn will be done much better.