Summit Entertainment announced today that the home entertainment release of the studio’s action-packed, modern day vampire love story TWILIGHT sold over 3 million DVD units in its first day of release. The DVD launch commenced this past Saturday morning at midnight with nationwide events during which time Summit and its retail partners provided TWILIGHT fans with the chance to celebrate the DVD release of the film. “TWILIGHT at Midnight” allowed participating retailers the opportunity to stay open late as fans lined up in impressive numbers to purchase the DVD of the epic romance at midnight parties.

Thousands of TWILIGHT fans across the nation participated in the "TWILIGHT at Midnight" event and some were surprised by filmmaker and cast appearances. 2,500 fans attended in Salt Lake City to see Rachelle Lefevre who plays Victoria; 2,000 showed up in Los Angeles to see Ashley Greene who plays Alice Cullen; over 1,000 fans came out to see director Catherine Hardwicke in Dallas; 700 fans lined up in New York for Edi Gathegi who plays Laurent; and 500 fans in Chicago saw Nikki Reed who plays Rosalie Hale.

With over 3 million DVD units sold, TWILIGHT enters the top five best first day DVD releases over the past two years along with PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END, THE DARK KNIGHT, HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX, and TRANSFORMERS.

Summit Entertainment's Co-Chairmen Rob Friedman and Patrick Wachsberger stated, "The Saturday release in conjunction with the groundbreaking retail events across the country have proven to be overwhelmingly successful which in turn benefited TWILIGHT fans as well as our retail partners. Home Entertainment President Steve Nickerson, the home entertainment group and the entire family at Summit are to be commended for the conceptualization and execution of this unique approach."

"We are incredibly appreciative that TWILIGHT fans came out to once again support this film at our midnight events across the nation," said Steve Nickerson, Summit's President of Home Entertainment. "With such a successful first day sales, it is apparent that our fans remain passionate about the TWILIGHT SAGA and want to own a piece of the Edward and Bella story they have come to love. We look forward to the continued success for both the home entertainment and retail sales of this property as a whole."

TWILIGHT, which was released in theatres on November 21, 2008, grossed $69.6 million domestically in its first weekend and to date had grossed nearly $380 million worldwide. The film tells the story of 17-year-old Bella Swan (Stewart) who moves to the small town of Forks, Washington to live with her father, and becomes drawn to Edward Cullen (Pattinson), a pale, mysterious classmate who seems determined to push her away. But neither can deny the attraction that pulls them together...even when Edward confides that he and his family are vampires. Their unorthodox romance puts her in physical danger when Edward's nemesis comes to town and sets his sights on Bella.

A special congratulations to Amy Lahr of Lenexa, KS! She is the big winner of AfterTheBite.com's Twilight DVD Giveaway!

Want to get in on the next contest? There's another one coming very very soon. To make sure you don't miss out, please sign up for our Weekly Newsletter (just put your email address in the box on the right) and we'll let you know about our next contest. It's going to be great!

Congratulations again to Amy!

Sure, New Moon's producers are being understandably tight-lipped about where they will shoot the scenes from the upcoming movie in the Stephenie Meyer's movie adaptations of the Twilight book series.  But we still applaud the Vancouver Sun for speculating and offering their own suggestions:

The Meadow

When Bella goes searching in the forest for the meadow where she and Edward had their first romantic encounter, it is described as a beautiful round opening in the forest and difficult to find, in part because there are no trails and in part due to the Washington state undergrowth. Bella "bushwhacks" her way in and is confronted by a vampire, Laurent, whose appetites are not so well controlled as Edward's. Stanley Park might do the trick for this scene, but it is so close to the city and so exposed to foot traffic that the shoot would not be secret for long.

Everett Crowley Park in southeast Vancouver has mature trees and undergrowth like those described in New Moon, as well as small open spaces that could serve as meadow. Compared with Stanley Park, it is almost devoid of human life. For total secrecy, Strathcona Park near Campbell River is beyond the reach of the urban vampire fan and nearby Elk Falls Park has one of the prettiest forest meadows on the West Coast.

Read the full article here.

What is ultra-hot, has two incredible disks full of the passion of two star-crossed lovers, and comes out on March 21? Why, it’s the Twilight, Two-Disc Special Edition DVD, of course!

We’re celebrating the release of the Twilight movie on DVD by giving one of you a FREE copy of the Twilight, Two-Disc Special Edition DVD!

The DVD includes:

•    Movie presented in widescreen format only
•    Audio commentary by Catherine Hardwicke, Kristen Stewart, and Robert Pattinson
•    Muse music video: "Super Massive Black Hole"
•    Paramore music video: "Decode"
•    Linkin Park music video: "Leave Out All the Rest"
•    Five extended scenes with director introductions
•    Five deleted scenes with director introductions
•    Seven-part documentary: "The Adventure Begins: The Journey from Page to Screen"
•    Comic-Con "fandom" piece
•    Comic-Con NY sizzle reel
•    Three trailers
•    Penelope trailer

How to Enter:

Entering to win is so easy to do. Just leave a comment here. That’s it! Just give us a real comment. Be sure to include your email in the appropriate field so we can get in touch with you if you win. (Don’t worry, we won’t be spamming your email address or publishing it online.)

We’ll draw the winner on Saturday, March 21, 2009. This contest is only open to US shipping addresses.

Good luck! And Happy Twilighting!

Will Drew Barrymore be the next director in the Twilight movie saga? Rumors from Entertainment Weekly are that the actress/director will be in charge of Eclipse movie.

As Summit Entertainment looks to lock in a director for the third installment of the Twilight series, Eclipse, the company is talking to a select group of directors -- including actress-turned-helmer Drew Barrymore, EW has learned. While this news may come as a surprise to some, Barrymore did just finish work on her directorial debut, Whip It! starring Ellen Page. Neither Summit nor Barrymore's reps would comment for this story.

Read the full article here.

Smirk_works, don't know the real name, has posted a great set of fan posters on his website for the New Moon movie. Absolutely stunning. Check them out!

Click here to visit Smirk_works website.

On Friday, March 20, 2009, from 10PM until 12 midnight, Summit Home Entertainment will provide TWILIGHT fans across the country with the chance to celebrate the midnight DVD release of the film that has unanimously been described as a “full-blown pop culture phenomenon.” TWILIGHT at MIDNIGHT will allow participating retailers the opportunity to stay open late as fans line up to purchase the DVD of the epic romance at midnight parties. The official TWILIGHT website- www.twilightthemovie.com – will feature a unique store locator from which fans can find out which retailers will be holding midnight parties.

Starting in March, store locator technology will be featured on the film’s website- www.twilightthemovie.com – providing unique access to breaking information about the TWILIGHT at MIDNIGHT events across America. In addition, the site will have updated announcements of special surprises related to actors in the film.

Following the success of the film, which grossed over $300 million worldwide, executives at Summit Entertainment decided to work with retailers to make this special edition DVD something that would not disappoint fans. “We wanted to say thank you to all of those who came out in droves last year and helped make Stephenie Meyer’s characters and story a truly successful movie,” said President of Home Entertainment, Steve Nickerson. While many DVDs street on Tuesdays, the Friday night launch party allows the core fans, many in high school, to celebrate outside of the school week. Adds Nickerson, “What better way to celebrate than a weekend party with your fellow Twilight fans.”

The Boston Globe has an article today that points out that Stephenie Meyer is just one of a growing group of Mormon writers that focus on young adult fiction.

That Mormon writers have come to loom large in an increasingly popular literary genre can be linked to several unique characteristics of their faith and culture: an aversion to the sex and swearing that prevails in adult fiction, a propensity for large families that often means a child-focused life, and an affinity for fantasy writing.

Read the full article here.