Summit Entertainment’s “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” sucked the life out of the box office earning the record best opening day, eclipsing the title earned by Warner Bros. “The Dark Knight,” by earning a staggering $72.7 million yesterday at 4,024 theaters.
There were an array of estimates being reported on the internet about how high the first day of “New Moon” actually was. This morning’s figure is Summit’s official Friday estimate.
“Dark Knight” earned $67.2 million from 4,366 runs on July 18, 2008 before making a three-day opening weekend of $158.4 million.
Fueling the Friday Box Office fire for “New Moon” were midnight shows in 3,514 venues which drew a record-breaking $26.3 million for the time slot. The opening day for “New Moon” posted more than a 100% gain over the first Friday of “Twilight” which made $36 million a year ago and a three-day weekend of $69.6 million.
