Twilight Saga: New Moon

Following Bella Swan's ill-fated 18th birthday party, Edward Cullen and his family abandon the town of Forks, Washington, in an effort to protect her from the dangers inherent in their world. As the heartbroken Bella sleepwalks through her senior year of high school, numb and alone, she discovers Edward's image comes to her whenever she puts herself in jeopardy. Her desire to be with him at any cost leads her to take greater and greater risks.

With the help of her childhood friend Jacob Black, Bella refurbishes an old motorbike to carry her on her adventures. Bella's frozen heart is gradually thawed by her budding relationship with Jacob, a member of the mysterious Quileute tribe, who has a supernatural secret of his own.

When a chance encounter brings Bella face to face with a former nemesis, only the intervention of a pack of supernaturally large wolves saves her from a grisly fate, and the encounter makes it frighteningly clear that Bella is still in grave danger. In a race against the clock, Bella learns the secret of the Quileutes and Edward's true motivation for leaving her. She also faces the prospect of a potentially deadly reunion with her beloved that is a far cry from the one she'd hoped for.

http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Lifestyle/Story/STIStory_457306.html

LOS ANGELES - THE hotly anticipated sequel to vampire romance Twilight scored a monster hit at the North American box office on Friday, shattering previous records for midnight openings, reports said.

Entertainment industry reports citing Summit Entertainment said The Twilight Saga: New Moon raked in US$26.3 million (S$36.8 million) from midnight showings, beating best marks set by The Dark Knight and the sixth Harry Potter film.

Batman sequel The Dark Knight took US$18.4 million on July 18, 2008, and Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince earned US$22.2 million earlier this year in midnight screenings.

If New Moon's stellar opening carries over into the weekend the film could rewrite the record books further, threatening the opening weekend record of The Dark Knight, which took US$158.3 million last year.

Based on the books by Stephenie Meyer, the Twilight franchise follows the fortunes of high school teenager Bella Swan, played by Kristen Stewart, and her vampire lover Edward Cullen, played by British hearthrob Robert Pattinson.

The first film in the franchise opened in November 2008, earning an estimated US$383 million worldwide. -- AFP