New Moon to Battle It Out With 2012
Due to a surprising increase in male interest, New Moon may be biting off some of 2012's audience.
Two big movie releases in the same month in two totally different genres shouldn't cause much trouble right? That may not be the case when Summit Entertainment's "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" hits theaters just a week after Sony Pictures' 2012. Despite one's specific audience of younger women and the other's broad appeal, pre-release polling show that "New Moon" may very well leave "2012" in the dark.
All numbers point to "New Moon" building off "Twilight's" success with poll numbers of 40% among younger women plus first choice and 15% of older women (25 and up). While these numbers are impressive, the shocker is that the same number of older men as older women showed interest. The poll has yet to release numbers on what percentage will afterwards deny ever seeing the soppy love story between a teenage girl and a 100-year-old vampire.
Sony's "2012" isn't looking too shabby either, with estimates of a $40 million opening. This is big for November, but may not be enough. With a rumored budget of around $250 million, it's looking to be an uphill battle for the end-of-the-world action thriller with "New Moon" drawing a lot of its potential audience only a week later. On the other hand, Culver Studio knows how to sell overseas ("Da Vinci Code" and the 007 franchise), something they may be forced to depend on to turn "2012" into a money maker.
Other November contenders include "A Christmas Carol" and "Men Who Stare At Goats". None of these four are shaping out to be as disastrous as "2012's" plot promises, but bets are on "New Moon" winning this race.
