TRANSCRIPT
The "Twilight" vampire saga's final chapter debuted with a massive 341 million dollars (USD) in global movie ticket sales as devoted fans bid farewell to Bella and Edward in one of Hollywood's biggest franchises. "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2" earned an estimated 141 million in the U.S. and Canada over the weekend, that fell slightly short of a record for the supernatural romance series about a human-vampire-werewolf love triangle. The excitement over "Twilight" eclipsed all other movies over the weekend. Last week's winner, James Bond movie "Skyfall" finished in second place with 41.5 million at North American (U.S. and Canadian) theaters. "Skyfall" is now the highest-grossing Bond movie to date with a global total of over 669 million, surpassing the 599 million taken in by "Casino Royale" in 2006. 007's Daniel Craig meanwhile made a surprise visit to Camp Bastion in Afghanistan, where the actor met with British troops. Dressed in military gear, Craig was on hand for the premiere showing of "Skyfall" at the military base. The historical drama "Lincoln" expanded from a limited opening a week ago and landed in third place with 21 million. The movie stars Daniel Day-Lewis as the 16th president near the end of his life as he battles to ban slavery and end the Civil War. The movie is directed by Steven Spielberg and has earned critical praise and an Oscar buzz. Walt Disney's "Wreck-It Ralph" landed in fourth place, while Denzel Washington's drama "Flight" rounded out the top 5.
ALSO SEE
• The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 – review (The Guardian)
• Twilight: what have we learned? (The Guardian)
• Twilight is not feminist: it's female masochism (The Guardian)
