By David Germain The Associated Press

November 23, 2009
LOS ANGELES — The vampire romance "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" sucked up $140.7 million in its first three days and pulled in a total of $258.8 million worldwide, according to studio estimates Sunday.

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 Stephenie 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.

"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 Meyer's next "Twilight" chapter, "Eclipse," arrives in the heart of summer, next June 30.

Overall, Hollywood had its second-biggest nonholiday 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 and a vampire (Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson), with the sequel adding a love triangle with a werewolf (Taylor Lautner).

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.

As with "New Moon," females were the big fans of "The Blind Side," accounting for 59 percent of the audience, an unusual split for a movie with a sports theme.

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.

Top 10 movies

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