"Twilight" Frenzy Continues
October 4, 2008 by Jane Boursaw
Twilight will definitely be the killer movie of the year, and I mean that in the best possible way. I haven’t seen this much anticipation for a movie since…well, I can’t remember when. Definitely right up there with Harry Potter.
The movie follows a tragic high school romance between Bella (Kristen Stewart), who comes to a small town after her parents split, and Edward (Robert Pattinson), her secret crush who turns out to be a vampire. It’s sparking a passion with people of all ages, whether they’ve read the Stephenie Meyer novel or not. Box office analysts are predicting the film could earn back its $37 million budget in the opening weekend alone.
More after the jump…
When word of the film began to spread, fans started analyzing every casting move, storyline, reshoots, and production notes with cult-like glee. And, apparently, even the city where the story takes place — Forks, a real-life depressed timber town in rural Washington — is seeing a spike in tourism from tween girls arriving in minivans left and right.
The distributor, Summit Entertainment, is using the frenzy to their advantage. They’re keeping a tight lid on all but a few planned trailers before the pre-launch ad buy kicks in, but they’re doing other things to build buzz. Like marketing to an online group called Twilight Moms, women who’ve caught the Twilight fever after being turned onto it by their daughters. And a broad MySpace campaign, resulting in millions of hits.
How to get the boys, though… Some of the trailers are stressing the action scenes, so maybe that’ll help.
Not many people have seen the final cut, but word is that the movie remains true to the tone and pivotal moments in the book, including two key scenes involving Bella and Edward being chased at a baseball game and Edward showing his daylight self in a meadow.
In a Hollywood Reporter story, screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg notes the “sheer excitement but also terror” she felt when footage of the film was shown at Comic-Con. “I thought, ‘The scenes are similar to the book but different enough that if they didn’t like it, they’re going to ride me out of the room.’”
I’m guessing she needn’t worry. Then again, you never know until you see the final film. Couldn’t hurt to have a getaway car, just in case.
Images: Twilight, Summit Entertainment, 2008
