There's a New Moon on the rise and it's obliterating box office records. The second Twilight film grossed an estimated $72.7 million its first full day in release, pushing The Dark Knight and its $67 million first day into second place. And New Moon set this new record will showing on 800 less screens than The Dark Knight. Wow. Words fail me.

Twilight's opening in 2008 set the record for the biggest opening weekend for a film directed by a female. But New Moon blew past Twilight's entire opening weekend take of $69 million its first day.

The record for the biggest opening weekend overall is held by The Dark Knight with 158.4 million. It's likely New Moon will fall short of that record - but at this rate anything is possible.

More on New Moon:

• Meet the Wolfpack - Interviews with Tyson Houseman ('Quil'), Bronson Pelletier ('Jared') and Kiowa Gordon ('Embry')
  
• New Moon Movie Review
  
• New Moon Photo Gallery

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The Twilight Saga: New Moon's midnight release is one for the record books. New Moon hit 3,514 theaters at 12:01am this morning and shattered the midnight screening record set just this past July by Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. The sixth Harry Potter film took in $22.2 million during its debut screening at midnight. Twilight's second film of the series, New Moon, grossed an estimated $26.3 million, incredible numbers for the teen-centric vampire/werewolf/high school student love triangle.

Online ticketing agency Fandango is reporting New Moon sales of 10 tickets per second today, the film's first full day in release.

More on New Moon:

• New Moon Premiere Photos
  
• Review of New Moon Starring Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner, and Robert Pattinson
  
• Interviews with the Cast: Taylor Lautner, Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Ashley Greene, and Michael Sheen

_{(Photo © Summit Entertainment)}

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Robert Pattinson (The Twilight Saga: New Moon) will be becoming intimately involved with Uma Thurman and Kristin Scott Thomas onscreen in Bel Ami, a dramatic film based on the story by Guy de Maupassant. de Maupassant's tale has been adapted numerous times before, the first being a German adaptation way back in 1939.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Thurman has signed up to play a Paris socialite who helps an ambitious journalist (Pattinson) rise to fame and later becomes his wife. Scott Thomas will co-star as another wealthy socialite who falls for Pattinson's character, George Duroy.

Pattinson told the press at the LA New Moon junket he believes Bel Ami will begin filming in February 2010.

Thurman will next be seen in the fantasy adventure Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. Pattinson recently wrapped filming on the third Twilight movie, Eclipse, has Remember Me hitting theaters in March, and a starring role in Unbound Captives opposite Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz in the works.

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Sandra Bullock is batting 2 for 3 in 2009, not a bad average for the actress/producer whose career now spans 20+ years. The Proposal proved Bullock's still adorable to watch in a romantic comedy. All About Steve showed the veteran actress isn't immune to selecting lousy projects to star in. Thankfully, with The Blind Side we can forget All About Steve, put the past behind us, and enjoy what Bullock is able to pull off as a blonde in a more dramatic turn.

Director John Lee Hancock is familiar with inspirational sports stories having helmed 2002's The Rookie, a baseball drama starring Dennis Quaid as a coach who gets a shot at the big leagues late in life. Like The Rookie, The Blind Side is a sweet story about not giving up and triumphing over adversity.

• The Blind Side Movie Review

More on The Blind Side:

• Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw on The Blind Side
  
• The Blind Side Photos
  
• The Blind Side Trailer and Clips

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