second installment of ‘The Twilight Saga’ tops first DVD by more than 200,000 units.

By Josh Wigler

As feverishly as moviegoers flocked to the initial “Twilight” film, fans devoted even more ticket sales to the theatrical release of “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” in November of last year. Now, “New Moon” has bested its predecessor once again by selling just over 4 million DVD units during its debut weekend, a greater result than the 3.8 million “Twilight” DVDs initially sold in its first weekend on sale.

The increased number of DVD sales between the 2009 launch of “Twilight” and Friday’s release of “New Moon” owes no small thanks to the nationwide “New Moon at Midnight” event that Summit Entertainment helped to organize across 7,000 different American retail outlets. Several cast and crew members, including Peter Facinelli and director Chris Weitz, appeared at the various locations on Saturday, giving further cause for “New Moon” fans to make the late-night trek.

“Once again the incredibly dedicated fans of ‘The Twilight Saga’ came out in massive numbers this weekend for the opportunity to be one of the first [to] take home the second movie in the series,” said Summit Entertainment’s co-chairmen Rob Friedman and Patrick Wachsberger in a joint statement. “As we have said all along, the fans are what make this franchise and we once again thank them for their support.”

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Moon Director Promises Eclipse Will Be ‘Steamy’

By Michelle Tauber

Team Jacob, hold on to your sleeping bags.

Chris Weitz, who directed New Moon, the second installment in the Twilight series, says he has read the script for this summer’s third installment, Eclipse – and that one scene in particular is a scorcher.

“I’m looking forward to the sleeping bag scene, I gotta say,” Weitz tells PEOPLE. “That’s going to be very steamy.”

In Eclipse’s fan-favorite “tent scene,” – spoiler alert! – a freezing Bella, who is on the run from evil vamp Victoria, gets a warm-up from werewolf Jacob when he squeezes into her sleeping bag – while a jealous Edward looks on. The movie will open June 30.

Weitz also says he is eager to see Edward’s vampire “parents,” played by Elizabeth Reaser and Peter Facinelli, sink their teeth into Eclipse’s more intense action.

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It’s so hard to compare roles — [but playing Bella] was difficult for other reasons,’ actress says.

By Larry Carroll

BEVERLY HILLS, California — Ever since she broke through playing Jodie Foster’s tough, imperiled daughter in the 2002 hit film “Panic Room,” moviegoers and critics alike have been quick to praise Kristen Stewart’s acting skills. Now, the 19-year-old actress is back in theaters next Friday (February 26) with “The Yellow Handkerchief,” a romantic drama she was cast in after Foster recommended her to the film’s producer, six-time Oscar winner Arthur Cohn. But when it comes to which role was tougher to play — her “Handkerchief” rebel Martine or “Twilight” icon Bella Swan — KStew and Cohn disagree.

“I followed Jodie’s advice because she’s a great actress and director,” Cohn said of casting Stewart in “Handkerchief,” a love story featuring old and new romances blossoming side by side. “Kristen had an enormous sensitivity for an extremely difficult part. With all respect to ‘Twilight,’ I think this part was infinitely harder to pull off.”

Making matters more interesting, Kristen was only 15 when she landed the role. It wasn’t until “Handkerchief” hit Sundance in 2008 that she was even cast in the “Twilight Saga” films. But with all due respect to her producer, Stewart disagreed with his thoughts on which role was more difficult to pull off.

“No, I would say definitely not,” Stewart insisted, claiming that Bella is the more complicated portrayal from an actor’s point of view. “It’s so hard to compare roles — this was difficult for other reasons.

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But he understands there’s a reason Jacob is ‘not wearing clothes all the time.’

By Larry Carroll

Sure, Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart get a lot of press these days. But when it comes to “New Moon,” to quote Jacob Black: “It’s a wolf thing.”

While the second installment of the “Twilight Saga” continues to ride high at the box office, we’d be remiss if we didn’t check in with Taylor Lautner to see what’s on his mind these days. With help from our friends at MTV Radio, read on for an interview with the breakout star that’s nearly as revealing as all those shirtless-wolf-pack scenes.

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‘New Moon’ director Chris Weitz: ‘This was made for the fans, and if you don’t get it, then you don’t get it’

by Nicole Sperling

Chris Weitz just joined the ranks of a very select group of directors such as Chris Nolan and Sam Raimi who have opened their films above the $100 million mark. The news is sweet revenge for a man who had his last film The Golden Compass complete re-cut by his previous studio bosses. Check out our Q&A with Weitz where he reveals his favorite cast moments and how he’s dealt with the fan adoration and the paparazzi intrusion.

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‘The final scene is extraordinarily emotional, and it leads to a very potent climax,’ he tells MTV News.

By Jocelyn Vena

NEW YORK — Fans pretty much know what they are getting themselves into when they head to theaters to see “New Moon” this weekend. If they have read the book, they have a good idea of how this part of the “Twilight Saga” comes to an end.

Still, director Chris Weitz hopes fans appreciate the way he has decided to craft the “New Moon” finale for the big screen.

“The final scene is extraordinarily emotional, and it leads to a very potent climax,” he told MTV News on the red carpet of the NYC screening of “New Moon.” “And it’s kind of a spoiler, which I hope people won’t give away.”

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Charlie Bewley of ‘New Moon’ on snowboarding, red contact lenses, and close fan encounters in Italy

by Kerrie Mitchell

After spending two years snowboarding in Whistler, Canada, newcomer Charlie Bewley is launching his acting career in a big way. A British expat—he was raised close to Sherwood Forest in Nottingham—Bewley plays the evil Volturi lieutenant Demetri in New Moon.

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‘Let’s give young people a chance to win some Oscars,’ says one New York Twilighter.

By Eric Ditzian

Could two disparate 2009 news stories combine to make an unlikely third? In June, the Academy of Arts and Sciences announced that the Oscars’ Best Picture category would expand from five films to 10. And this past week, “New Moon” opened to a staggering $140.7 million at the domestic box office. Is it possible that a vastly more inclusive Oscar race could welcome Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart’s vampire saga to its esteemed contest?

Critics certainly reacted strongly — and often negatively — to “New Moon,” but moviegoers came out in droves, and after the mega blockbuster “The Dark Knight” failed to nab a Best Picture nod in 2008, the Academy might be looking to make a change. Or not. The idea of vampires joining the likes of Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman in “Invictus”) seems a bit of a stretch. Yet the Twilighters MTV News spoke to at a recent fan event in Times Square were certain “New Moon” deserved some Oscar love.

“They always give the [nominations] to the boring movies,” said Vanesa Reyes, who said she and her friends planned to see the movie four or five times over its first weekend. “Let’s give young people a chance to win some Oscars. It’s time for a change.”

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Alex Meraz of ‘New Moon’ talks playing ‘bad-boy’ Paul, bulking up, and ‘Twilight’ fandom

by Kate Ward

These days, Alex Meraz, the 24-year-old actor who plays New Moon’s Paul — the most explosive member of the wolf pack — is washing his hands. As well he should — following New Moon’s giant, record-breaking weekend, the actor is getting recognized more than ever. And that’s quite a change for Meraz, considering his previous work includes small indie flicks, and a small role in 2005’s The New World. The actor took time out of shaking hands to talk to EW about Native Americans in film, working out for the role, and why he’ll never be a diva.

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‘New Moon’ Shatters Box Office Records!

By: Erik Davis

We already brought you the news that The Twilight Saga: New Moon broke the record for best midnight opening (beating this past summer’s Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince), but while you were scarfing down popcorn and inhaling Robert Pattinson this weekend, the film broke a few other records too.

On Saturday it was announced that New Moon had successfully beat The Dark Knight’s opening day record of $67 million with a whopping $72 million, which was due, in part, to the insanely large number of advance tickets told right here on Fandango (more on that in a minute). Once New Moon broke both those records, everyone had their eyes peeled on the best opening weekend record, currently held by The Dark Knight with $158 million.

Unfortunately for you Twi-hards out there hoping for a sweep, New Moon failed to snatch the weekend record from Batman, but the film did finish with $140 million for the three-day, earning it the number three spot (replacing Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End) on the best opening weekend of all time list. The only two films ahead of New Moon are Spider-Man 3 and The Dark Knight, which, in all honesty, is pretty damn impressive.

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