'New Moon' midnight showings earn record $26.3 mil

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A sold out sign hangs on the Edwards Cinema Theater doors as ticket holders wait in line to be seated for the Midnight showing of New Moon in Nampa, Idaho. (AP photo)

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NEW YORK (AP) — "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" has set a box-office record for midnight screenings.

Summit Entertainment estimated Friday that it earned $26.3 million after opening early in the morning.

That would topple the previous midnight record, held by "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." It earned $22.2 million this year. "The Dark Knight" from 2008 is third with $18.5 million.

"New Moon" is the second installment of the popular "Twilight" series. It opened at midnight in 3,514 theaters with a per-theater average of $7,476.

Paul Dergarabedian (der-gayr-uh-BEE'-dee-uhn) is a box-office analyst for Hollywood.com. He says the midnight start "portends an opening weekend that could be one of the biggest of the year."

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