In not-so-surprising news, New Moon has set a box office records for the biggest opening day for a movie. The teen fantasy film, which opened Friday, grossed $72.7 million in it's first full day at the box office, shattering the previous record holder, The Dark Knight, by over $10 million. It eclipsed fellow Friday openers, The Blind Side and Area 51.
The much-anticipated sequel to Twilight made in a day what it took its predecessor a weekend to make, and it's still going strong, though it's unlikely to keep its pace; it's expected that ticket sales will die down after the first weekend.
Buzz for the film has been building for months -- star Taylor Lautner, who plays werewolf Jacob Black, has now become a sex symbol, an impressive feat considering he was virtually an unknown a year ago. It's all a testament to the juggernaut that is the Twilight Saga.
Fans of New Moon won't have to wait very long for some more gratification -- Eclipse, the third film in the series, is scheduled to come out in June 2010, less than a year from now. Breaking Dawn, the fourth and final film, will likely come out soon after that.
