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A prediction: 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon' will be number one film for 2009

With Twilight’s film success, some commentators have opined that the film’s frenzy was responsible for some of the increase in book sales both last quarter and the previous one (the final quarter of 2008, that is). If that is true, this means great things for The Twilight Saga: New Moon.

 

While the film has a high likelihood of immense success resulting only from its pre-film fan-base (of which there are millions), with the fan-base expansion coming off of Twilight (and its stars Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner), that success might just be even more paramount than readily anticipated.

 

On its “50 Biggest Movies of 2009” prediction list, the Times Online predicts that coming films such as Night at the Museum 2 (starring Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Amy Adams, and Robin Williams), Knowing (starring Nicholas Cage), Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (starring The Twilight Saga: New Moon new cast-mate Michael Sheen amongst others), G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra (starring Dennis Quaid, Channing Tatum, Sienna Miller, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Marlon Wayans), Dorian Gray (starring Colin Firth, Emilia Fox, and Ben Barnes (who some Twilight fans hoped to see apprise a role in The Twilight Saga: New Moon)), Sherlock Holmes (with Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law), Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (with the voices of Denis Leary, Ray Romano, Queen Latifah, John Leguizamo, and Seann William Scott), 2012 (with John Cusack, Thandie Newton, Woody Harrelson and Amanda Peet), The Lovely Bones (based off of a best-selling novel, with Susan Sarandon, Rachel Weisz, and Stanley Tucci), Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (with returnees Megan Fox and Shia LaBeouf), Inglourious Basterds (with Brad Pitt and Mike Meyers), Avatar (by James Cameron), Angels & Demons (based on the best-selling book, starring Tom Hanks and Ewan McGregor), X-Men Origins: Wolverine (starring the one and only Hugh Jackman), Star Trek, Public Enemies (starring Johnny Depp and Christian Bale), and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint) will fare well in this year’s economic circumstances.

 

The Twilight Saga: New Moon, however, was not on that list. Perhaps it was because the article was written on November 10, 2008 (less than two weeks before the release of Twilight), and, despite the wide-spread anticipation for Twilight, New Moon was not yet announced, but I have a feeling that if the list were to be re-written, The Twilight Saga: New Moon would rank high upon it (as the list includes stinkers such as Friday the 13th, there’d be some space to fill). (It should be noted that the same source’s “Biggest Movies of 2008” list did not include Twilight, either (written in January, 2008).)

 

While some of the Times Online’s list may be an accurate prediction (for example, with its inclusion The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince), I offer you a new prediction.

 

Not only will The Twilight Saga: New Moon be within the top 50 most successful films of 2009 (worldwide), but I dare say it will rank number one.

 

While, as a fan of the Harry Potter series myself, I can anticipate that this summer’s release will be on par with the success of the prior films, and could see it lingering at the number one spot for the year for some time, New Moon’s unprecedented fan community (who, one can safely imagine, will see the film once, twice, three times or more) will propel the film to the top instantaneously.  With up-coming films such as Where the Wild Things Are and Transformers 2, it is imaginable that New Moon will have sturdy competition in the blockbuster arena, but I still think that with the millions of eager nail-biting fans out there for New Moon that the film will take the number one spot and that it will close the year as the number one film for 2009.

 

With the wild success of Stephenie Meyer's book New Moon, the (obviously) un-anticipated explosion of Twilight the film, the growing cast, and the devotional fan community, I suspect that this prediction will not miss the mark by much.

 

So, what do you think? Do you think The Twilight Saga: New Moon will take the cake for 2009? Will it rank number one? Comment below and let us know!