New Moon Among the Most Downloaded on ITunes

As you can tell from article about Blockbuster filing for bankruptcy protection, things aren’t going so well for the video store industry. People are getting movies either right in their homes via Video on Demand (VOD) or just by downloading. According to the LA Times:

“Although there are no industrywide charts for digital downloads, Apple reported in December that the most popular movies of the year on iTunes were, in order, “The Hurt Locker,” “The Twilight Saga: New Moon,” “Hot Tub Time Machine,” “Iron Man 2” and “Zombieland,” according to CNET News.”

See more on the LA Times.

New Moon DVD Hits Sales Record

Chris_Nikki16This just in from Summit:

“Los Angeles, CA  March 23, 2010 – Summit Entertainment announced today that the home entertainment release of the studio’s action-packed, modern day vampire love story THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON sold just over 4 million DVD units in its first weekend of release.  The tally surpasses the first weekend sales of TWILIGHT in 2009 which sold 3.8 million DVD units, and went on to be the top selling DVD title of the year with 9.2 million units sold.  The DVD launch of NEW MOON commenced this past Saturday morning with 7,000 retail locations nationwide taking part in events at midnight giving fans their first chance to obtain a DVD of the film.

Thousands of TWILIGHT fans across the nation participated in the “NEW MOON at Midnight” event and some were treated to surprise appearances by members of the cast as well as the film’s director.  Fans saw actors Justin Chon who plays Eric, Christian Serratos who plays Angela, and Michael Welch who plays Mike in Salt Lake City; director Chris Weitz and Nikki Reed who plays Rosalie Hale in Los Angeles; Peter Facinelli who plays Dr. Carlisle Cullen in New York; Edi Gathegi who plays Laurent in Pittsburgh; and Liz Reaser who plays Esme Cullen in Phoenix.  Other cast members of THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON made appearances nationwide including Kiowa Gordon and Tinsel Korey in Cincinnati; Charlie Bewley in Denver; Chaske Spencer and Tyson Houseman in Atlanta; Daniel Cudmore in Houston; and screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg in Seattle.

Summit Entertainment’s Co-Chairmen Rob Friedman and Patrick Wachsberger stated, “Once again the incredibly dedicated fans of the TWILIGHT SAGA came out in massive numbers this weekend for the opportunity to be one of the first take home the second movie in the series.  As we have said all along, the fans are what make this franchise and we once again thank them for their support.”

“The support that we have received from our retail partners in accommodating the incredible demand for the title has been nothing short of amazing,” said Steve Nickerson, Summit’s President of Home Entertainment.  “The ground we have broken with in-store partnerships and the availability of this title has been a positive influence on the retail DVD business.”

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON, directed by Chris Weitz and starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner, was released in theatres on November 20, 2009 and has since grossed over $705 million worldwide.  In the film, the romance between mortal and vampire soars to a new level as Bella Swan (Stewart) delves deeper into the mysteries of the supernatural world she yearns to become part of—only to find herself in greater peril than ever before.  Following Edward Cullen’s (Pattinson) departure from Forks, Washington, Bella discovers his image comes to her whenever she puts herself in jeopardy.  In time Bella’s frozen heart is gradually thawed by her budding relationship with Jacob Black (Lautner) who has a supernatural secret of his own.

The third installment of the TWILIGHT franchise, THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE will be released in theatres throughout North America on June 30, 2010. “

Real Wolves Watch New Moon Wolves

File this under “just when you thought you’d heard of everything”…So to celebrate the release of New Moon on DVD in the UK…OK, usually we don’t try to editorialize too much around here…but seriously…I can’t help it…I’m just laughing too hard in a kind of freakishly punch drunk way…just read the press release and watch the clips…and if you value your computer monitor…PUT  DOWN ALL LIQUIDS…you have been warned.  It’s Pel writing blame me. This is officially the stupidest thing I have seen since the Renesmee womb and THAT is saying something.  Below is the press release from the UK distributor that last year ran this promotion.

To mark the DVD & Blu-ray release of The Twilight Saga: New Moon, E1 Entertainment has held the ‘World Wolf Premiere’ of the DVD to the wolves of Longleat Safari Park.

The first ever ‘World Wolf Premiere’ has been hosted in Longleat Safari Park as wolves watched their counterparts in action on the big screen for the DVD & Blu-ray release of the phenomenally successful The Twilight Saga: New Moon (Monday 22nd March).

Film company E1 Entertainment previewed the vampire vs. werewolf sequel – starring Kristen Stewart, Brit star Robert Pattinson and US talent Taylor Lautner – on a 16sqm screen in one of the country’s only wolf enclosures, with the unique screening deemed a howling success by the pack of 13 Canadian wolves at the park in Wiltshire.

The film, which is HMV’s highest pre-order title of all time, has taken over
£27 million since its theatrical release in November 2009 and is set to become one of the biggest home entertainment releases of 2010 thanks to the loyal following of ‘Twi-hards’ – fans of both Stephenie Meyer’s series of novels and films released so far.
Ian Turner, Deputy Head Warden at Longleat commented, “We’ve certainly never had a request like this before, so we were very intrigued to find out how the wolves would react to seeing their counterparts on screen.  While they weren’t so interested in the romance – the scenes of the wolves certainly got their attention and prompted a series of howls as the film went on.”

E1 Entertainment Senior Product Manager Martin Gough added, “Whilst Twilight was all about the vampires, New Moon develops a new love interest for Bella and in doing so introduces a range of characters that are all werewolves.
Whilst we’re used to deafening screams for Robert Pattinson, it’s a nice change to hear howls of approval for the rest of the cast, including the screen wolves themselves.”

With more of the passion, action and suspense that made Stephenie Meyer’s best-selling novels and the first movie smash hits, The Twilight Saga: New Moon is a spellbinding follow-up to the international box office phenomenon, and is out to own on DVD & Blu-ray from Monday 22nd March.”

The New Moon DVD Recap Post

new-moon-dvd

Last night Alphie and Pel had a blast hosting New Moon DVD release parties in Borders in New York City and the Nashville area. So here are the questions:

1.  Did you go to a DVD release event (even if it wasn’t ours)?

2. Where was your event held and how was it?

3. What version of the DVD did you end up buying and what do you think?

4. Any special features that stand out?
 

Twilight Lexicon & Twilight Moms NYC DVD Event

Borders New Moon DVD Podcast

To celebrate the release the New Moon DVD Laura (Pel) and Kara from Twilight Moms are going to be at the Borders store in Columbus Circle in New York City on Friday, March 19th. The podcast will start at 10:00pm. We’ll be discussing our experiences on the red carpet, the set visits, current Twilight news and we’ll be doing some trivia with giveaways. Our giveaways include items autographed by the cast! Come on down and enjoy the fun!

Twilight Actors to Appear At DVD Release Parties

The Twilight movie twitter is releasing info location by location…sort of…they are releasing the cities involved.  All the cities have now been announced with the talent that will be there.  As you can see, there is no information of location aside from the city.  We don’t know what stores, but if it’s like last year they will be at various Borders, Barnes and Nobles, and Walmarts and other stores hosting midnight parties.  We will inform you if we learn anything more about their locations.

New York City:
Peter Facinelli


Pittsburgh:

Edi Gathegi


Atlanta:

Chaske Spencer & Tyson Houseman

Seattle:
Melissa Rosenberg

Salt Lake City:
Mike Welch, Christian Serratos, Justin Chon

Houston:
Daniel Cudmore

Phoenix:
Liz Reaser

Denver:
Charlie Bewley

Cincinnati:

Tinsel Korey and Kiowa Gordon

Los Angeles:

Nikki Reed & Chris Weitz

Pel (Laura) from the Lexicon and Kara from Twilight Moms will be doing a DVD release party and podcast at the Borders, Columbus Circle.

Borders New Moon DVD Podcast

The podcast will start at 10:00pm. We’ll be discussing our experiences on the red carpet, the set visits, current Twilight news and we’ll be doing some trivia with giveaways. Come on down and enjoy the fun!

Access Hollywood Behind the Scenes in the New Moon DVD

Special Deal At Borders For Graphic Novel and DVD

BordersThis just in from Borders:

New Moon T-Shirts for $5

When fans buy any version of “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” DVD, they can also purchase any New Moon T-shirt for just $5 through March 22. (The promotion begins March 16.) The shirts normally retail for between $19.99 and $24.99. (While the DVD won’t be available at the start of the promotion, fans can buy “Twilight: The Graphic Novel Vol. 1,” available beginning March 16, and receive a New Moon T-shirt for $5 (quantities and sizes limited).

Additional Party Details
The festivities kick off at 10 p.m. when fans will be welcomed with a specially-recorded video message from Rob, Kristen, Taylor & and the Cullens after which they’ll enjoy a host of activities including:
· Charades – fans who think they can do a great Bella or a convincing Alice will have their chance to show their stuff during the charades portion of the evening

· Movie debate – sponsored by fan site TwilightSeriesTheories.com, Twilight followers will go head-to-head on such questions as “is Bella a good role model for young girls?” and “was the New Moon movie better than the Twilight movie?”

Quote contest – die hard fans who have undoubtedly read “New Moon” and seen the movie multiple times will love the chance to square off and guess New Moon quotes

Borders 2nd Annual Twilight Movie Awards – ballots available in store on the night and here in advance: http://www.bordersmedia.com/twilight/newmoon_video.asp.

We’re looking forward to another fun-filled Twilight Saga midnight party at Borders. Fans can find their nearest Borders Midnight Party by going to: http://www.borders.com/online/store/LocatorView.

Walmart New Moon Release Special Info

wallmart logoThanks to Alison of TwiFans for passing this info on:


http://www.twifans.com/profiles/blogs/walmart-debuts-new-moon-kiosks

We have been told that in 3500 Walmarts across the nation New Moon mini stores/kiosks will be opening tomorrow (March 10th). Each store will have a New Moon Hotspot located behind the accessories area. Some store will feature 2 New Moon locations with the additional location being in the electronics area.

These hotspots will be where Walmart will be hosting their DVD midnight release parties on March 20th. Unlike corporate parties in the past, Walmart seems to know what fans want. Exclusively we have inside information on some of the party plans….

The first 100 in line will be getting special goodies.

These goodies will include a folder with:

New Moon trading cards
Temporary tattoos
Stickers

There will be games and New Moon water bottles will be one of the prizes. I might be partying at a Walmart this go round. Want to find a Walmart party near you? Go here.

We also exclusively have a preview of the NEW ‘New Moon’ merchandise that will be in the Walmart New Moon hotspots.

12 New Shirts
4 Team Edward
4 team Jacob
2 Forks High
1 Twilight trinity
1 Eclipse shirt

Team Edward shirts: Cullen Crest, Edward face, Edward and Bella (all black) Edward walking (white) all have small symbol on back or NM

Team Jacob shirts: Wolfpack Tattoo, Jacob face (black), Jacob sad face, I run with wolves (white) all have small wolf on back

Twilight Trinity [meaning Bella, Jacob, & Edward] (black) NM logo on back, Forks High (Blue) Forks High class of 10 (black) I think NM logo on back, Eclipse (black) plain back.

Try shirts on before you buy some styles are running small (XS-XXL Juniors).

Walmart will also have key-chains, button sets, mini jelly bracelets with charms, Rubber bracelet sets. The rubber bracelets, one says Edward Anthony Masen Cullen with Cullen Crest, another says Isabella Marie Swan with Truck charm.

Other merchandise: generic vamp and wolf girl jewelry, including vampire teeth rings.

Will you be partying at Walmart?”

Collider: Chris Weitz New Moon DVD Interview

Chris Weitz..cgFrosty from Collider interviewed Chris Weitz on the making of the New Moon DVD.  Now Frosty had a different perspective from most in that he was able to get some early info from Chris back at Comic Con. Check out the interview, it shows how things evolve over time.

“With The Twilight Saga: New Moon hitting DVD and Blu-ray on March 20, I was able to talk with director Chris Weitz about the upcoming release.  When the film was getting ready to hit theaters, I asked Chris Weitz about the eventual DVD release and he told me to expect a commentary from Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner and about ten minutes of deleted scenes.  So when I got the specs of the DVD/Blu-ray and saw there was no commentary and no deleted scenes, I knew this would be the main topic of conversation.  Also, I asked everyone on Twitter to send me questions and a ton of you asked me about the deleted scenes and commentary.

The way Weitz described it to me, the reason you’re not going to be able to hear Kristen, Rob and Taylor is due to time.  When they were recording the commentary, for whatever reason, they couldn’t fit it into the schedule.  I know it sucks for fans that were looking forward to it…but the DVD is due around the time the movie is getting released and that last month is very rough on everyone.”

Check out Chris’ answers to what happened to the actor commentary and where missing scenes may be on Collider.