Gateway

Issue date: 11/18/08 Section: Arts & Leisure

Courtesy Summit Entertainment [Click to enlarge]

Although "Twilight" may have been a foreign name in the book industry a mere three years ago, the novel that began the series is seeing its largest popularity to date with a movie release adding to its momentum.

Written by Stephenie Meyer in 2005, "Twilight" has sold more than 17 million copies worldwide. The novel chronicles 17-year-old Isabella "Bella" Swan, who moves to a new city, only to find herself falling in love with a vampire named Edward Cullen.

Danger and romance ensue in this young adult vampire tale that has many people hooked.

The movie version of the first book in the series makes its Omaha premier Nov. 20, at midnight. As the premiere draws near, fans plan to flock to local theaters to experience the next chapter in the "Twilight" journey, including many UNO students.

"I am going to the midnight release," senior Sarah Patomson said. "I bought my tickets last Sunday."

Although some students have no qualms about going to the late night showing, some want to wait in order to fully appreciate the flick.

"I'm not sure I'll be able to make it through the movie if I go to that showing," said senior Rachel Sigler. "I want to be fully awake when I see the movie."

The "Twilight" series currently has four novels on the market with one in the works. It's even earned a place on the New York Times and USA Today best-seller lists.

But what makes Twilight so popular?

"The series has different genres that appeal to me: adventure, romance and thriller," Sigler said.

Freshman Mary Royers is also a fan of the series, but for a different reason.

"Twilight, to me, is about a story of a true test of love," Royers said. "It's about how nothing can truly stand in the way if people really want to be together."

Students hope that the movie adaptation will have the same undertones and not stray too far off course from the original novel.

"I do have high expectations. I hope that they follow the book closely," Patomson said. "From the previews I've seen and the soundtrack I've heard, it looks [like] how I pictured it to be as I was reading."

The "Twilight" soundtrack may be a good predictor for the upcoming movie's success. The compilation features songs from Paramore, MuteMath, Linkin Park and Collective Soul and is rated No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 chart.

This is the first time since 2002's "8 Mile" that a movie soundtrack has premiered in the No. 1 slot before its own movie was released.

Twilight was originally slated to be released Dec. 12. After Warner Bros. moved its other highly anticipated novel-to-movie series, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" to a summer release, however, "Twilight" obtained the highly coveted weekend before Thanksgiving spot in the holiday movie lineup.

Several local theatres around the metro area will conduct the midnight release, including AMC Theatres, Marcus Theatres and the new Rave Theatres at Westroads Mall. Tickets are already on sale online and at some locations.

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