Port Angeles’ Lincoln Theater was invaded by an army of “Twilight” fans late Tuesday night who were preparing for the release of the third installment of the series early Wednesday.
The response was less at a cinema in Port Townsend, the Uptown Theater, but about 170 viewed the third movie in the series based on the Twilight novels, “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.”
In Port Angeles at a cinema which figures in Stephenie Meyer’s novels of a teenage love triangle involving vampires and werewolves on the North Olympic Peninsula, two screens were packed out with fans.
Exact numbers were still being totaled, said Tom Watson, who manages the Deer Park Cinema and has been in close coordination with the Lincoln Theater managers, who were not available Wednesday. The Deer Park and Lincoln are both owned by Sun Basin Theaters of Wenatchee.
Fans — many of whom lined up and camped on the First Street sidewalk for days — did not have to be turned away, Watson said.
The Uptown Theater in Port Townsend sold out just under half of the 350 seats available, said owner Rick Wiley.
About 170 attended the midnight showing in Port Townsend, he said.
“Of course, after I thought that they wouldn’t line up on Monday night, they showed up with tents all along the sidewalk,” Wiley said.
“It was great.
“I had T-shirts that Summit [Entertainment LLC, the movie studio] provided me and all the fans shrieked at every cue.”
The first fan in Port Angeles to get in line was Brianna Gilbeck, who arrived six days before the movie’s release.
“The movie was great, I think — it was worth it,” she said.
“My favorite scene I think is where all the newborn [vampires] come out of the water.”
She said after spending several nights on the street, she headed straight home after the movie to take a long nap.
As the first fan, she was awarded a goodie bag full of T-shirts, posters, keychains all other “Twilight”-related items.
Early Wednesday’s theater turnouts on the North Olympic Peninsula paralleled with the North American figures — which show that more than $30 million worth of tickets were sold for early morning showings in the U.S. and Canada, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The previous record for midnight-screening ticket sales of $26.3 million was set by the last “Twilight” movie, “The Twilight Saga: New Moon,” in November 2009, the Times said.
Some of the reasons for Wednesday’s record could be the altered release date — “Eclipse” was released in the summer whereas both “Twilight” and “New Moon” were released in November.
“Eclipse also was released in giant-screen IMAX theaters — the first of the series to do so — and more than $1 million of the tickets were sold at those big-city locations, the Times said.
Since most people are off work Monday for the Independence Day holiday, “Eclipse” is expected to gross a huge amount of money in its first six days — likely about $180 million and possibly as much as $200 million, the Times said.
__________
Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige.dickerson@peninsuladailynews.com.