The Twilight Saga: Eclipse continued its run atop the box office on Thursday with an estimated $24.2 million in ticket sales to bring its two-day total to $92.7 million. The $100 million mark will be easily eclipsed by close of business on Friday with $150 million a distinct possibility through the holiday weekend.
Summit Entertainment won’t scoff at easy Twilight profits but they might be concerned at how quickly Eclipse has begun its fade. The Twilight Saga: New Moon brought in $42.3 million on its second day, nearly double that of Eclipse and without the benefit of IMAX screens. Twilight films thus far have been notoriously front-loaded in their profits, but this new trend suggests the franchise has lost a little bit of its bite.
In second place on Thursday was Paramount and M. Night Shyamalan’s The Last Airbender with $16.4 million on its opening day, $3 million of which came from midnight screenings. It should easily maintain the second position throughout the July 4 holiday weekend despite a miserable score at Rotten Tomatoes.
