Business behind the Twilight Saga
The Business Behind The Twilight Saga: Who Will Make It Beyond The Films?
The Twilight Saga has proven to be a major business in itself.
The Twilight films have grossed nearly $2 billion worldwide so far. The second film in the series, New Moon, set a box office record for biggest midnight screening in history. Eclipse ended up as one of the top grossing movies of 2010. The next installment in the Twilight Saga, Breaking Dawn, will be released on November 18, 2011, with part 2 due in theaters nearly a year later in 2012.
Since the first installment was released in 2008, many of the stars of the franchise have sought success outside of the series. The most successful of the Twilight Saga stars outside of the franchise so far have been Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson. Kristen Stewart got her start with an uncredited role in the Disney movie The Thirteenth Year and has since received acclaim for roles in Jumper, Adventureland and The Runaways.
Robert Pattinson, also a veteran of the Harry Potter series, has found success outside of both roles in movies such as Remember Me and recently in Water for Elephants, opposite Reese Witherspoon. Both stars have become the face of the franchise and have become the first major stars from the series to successfully breakaway from their famous roles. Although Stewart and Pattinson aren’t straying too far, as both will be back for the next two installments.
The Twilight movies have proven to be a lucrative business away from the book series. Besides selling thousands of fan magazines and spawning countless websites, the film series has spurred other merchandising efforts. The most successful of these efforts, aside from DVD/Blu-ray revenue, is the numerous Halloween costumes sold over the past couple of years.
Another hot Twilight commodity is jewelry. Replica jewelery based on designs worn by Bella have turned up on several websites and in retail stores. The ongoing Team Edward vs. Team Jacob debate has also been good for business with t-shirts and related items available proclaiming loyalty to one side or the other.
It’s hard to predict where the Twilight stars will end up in the future, but merchandising and film residuals are likely to keep most of the cast happy for years to come. Right now, Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart are the breakout stars from the franchise, only time will tell if their fellow cast mates will join them.