"Twilight" not lifting

Writer: Elaine Ewe

Stephanie Meyer's vampire romance continues to sparkle at the top of the US box office chart for the Thanksgiving weekend.

29 Nov – Nothing can stop witnesses for Bella and Edward's wedding, as moviegoers and fans continue to crowd the cinemas for the first part of the final instalment, titled "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1", which led the movie to gross up to US $221 million for the Thanksgiving weekend. Second to the popular franchise is the revival of another, "The Muppets", and whose second place debut was a strong success, considering the brand is already on its last legs. Meanwhile, "Happy Feet 2" did not only fell to third place, but its totals are a far cry from its previous animated story about singing and dancing penguins for the past weekend of 24 to 27 November, according to online tracker, Box Office Mojo.

For Malaysia, it was a strong debut for "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1", as it opened slightly later than U.S. However, advanced tickets were sold a week before the movie opened, with a few select cinemas offering exclusive movie merchandise up for grabs, which showed the high demand fans have for the series despite the lack of critical reception. "The Muppets" has yet to open in Malaysia, leaving the second and third spots open for other blockbusters and local movies in Malaysia's box office for the past weekend.

The box office list for Singapore came in slightly different, with the exception of "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1", which also reigned at first place. It should be noted that adorable penguins are no match for the equally adorable yet comes with sword-fighting skills "Puss In Boots", and so took second place while "Immortals" was granted third, for the weekend just gone.

Other new releases and sneak peeks last week in Malaysia include, "Magic To Win", "Arthur Christmas", "Mayakkam Enna", "50/50", "Misteri Jalan Lama", "Made in Dagenham", "Vithagan", "Desi Boyz", and "East Meets West".

In Singapore, new releases and sneak peeks last week were, "50/50", "Desi Boyz", "Mayakkam Enna", and "Already Famous".