Summit Entertainment announced today that the home entertainment release of the studio’s 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 Anglea, 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 was released in theaters on November 20, 2009 and has since grossed over $705 million worldwide. The third installment, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse will be released in theaters throughout North America on June 30, 2010.
