Twilight was released on the unorthodox Saturday, giving way for some publicity events. Midnight release numbers padded by permission to stay up past your bedtime on a non-school night to get your copy of Twilight on dvd catapulted the rabidly followed franchise into the top 5 dvd releases ever.
With over 3 million DVD units sold, Twilight enters the top five best first day DVD releases over the past two years along with Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, The Dark Knight, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Transformers.
Summit Entertainment’s Co-Chairmen Rob Friedman and Patrick Wachsberger stated, “The Saturday release in conjunction with the groundbreaking retail events across the country have proven to be overwhelmingly successful which in turn benefited ‘Twilight’ fans as well as our retail partners. Home Entertainment President Steve Nickerson, the home entertainment group and the entire family at Summit are to be commended for the conceptualization and execution of this unique approach.”
While I agree that the odd release day of Saturday instead of the ingrained ritual of my Tuesday new release shopping day felt odd, with a movie like this they could have brought this movie out on a day the stores were not even open and it would still find a way to get droves of people picking it up.
I had previously had no interest in this franchise and wrote it off as sappy romance, but with John’s positive review, I thought I might give it a chance. That combined with the awfully tempting prices my local super-electronics shop was offering the Bluray ($2 more than the dvd) got the movie added to my collection.
My wife and I settled in on a Saturday evening to see what all the fuss was about and we were hooked. Not only do I find Kristen Stewart to be so genuinely appealing, but the supporting cast and the very different take on Vampires made the movie very enjoyable for me. I haven’t read the books, but I might find myself looking for them very soon.
I wouldn’t say I am a rabid fan, but I can appreciate the movie for what it was. Mostly drama, a little fun, some great characters, and a good taste of action. The effects of the tree climbing and forest running were a bit jarring. But I enjoyed the movie.
For those of you who haven’t watched the special features, know this now: Catherine Hardwicke is an unsettling visage, and she creeps the fuck out of me more than any vampire could. You have been warned.
