According to Variety, Twilight is likely to open at No. 1 at the box office this weekend. That would mean it would surpass Disney’s newest entry into CGI animation, “Bolt” which will also open this weekend.
Final tracking was so strong for “Twilight” Thursday morning that competing studios predicted an opening gross of $50 million to $60 million, and perhaps higher. That’s because it’s not only girls who are expected to show up at theaters; interest has picked up among teen boys, while older women are amassing as well.
Last weekend, B.O. revs were up roughly 45% from the same frame last year on the strength of James Bond installment “Quantum of Solace.” This weekend could also see a dramatic gain over last year between “Twilight,” “Bolt” and “Quantum.”
“Bolt” is the first animated feature Disney Animation will release since John Lasseter took over the helm. “Bolt” will play in 3,651 theaters, 982 of those being digital 3-D screens. It is expected to do better than Disney’s last CGI film, “Meet the Robinsons” which opened at $25.1 million. However, with “Madagascar 2″ already in theaters and “Quantum” making a cool $67.5 million dollars last weekend, it could be a fight to the finish for the No. 2 spot.
