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Daron Aldridge: I think the biggest dip is the fact that the interested but not fanatical kids (and their moms) don't HAVE to go on the weekend because school is out. Other than the millions of die-hard fans (I refuse to utter their unbearably cutesy moniker that rhymes with die-hard), the interested yet more patient teens may be just waiting. Case in point, I saw my 13-year-old niece just today reading or maybe re-reading Eclipse before she would see the movie. Pardon the comparison, because the quality of products is worlds apart, but I think this franchise is similar to Iron Man, in that the audience has reached critical mass and that the totals of New Moon is about as much as you are going to get from the public. So, I will be stunned if any of the Twilight movies grosses much beyond $300 million - which is still incredible, especially if they keep these things so moderately budgeted. As someone, who would be the equivalent of a fervent Twilight fan for the first Iron Man, I know that I thoroughly enjoyed the sequel despite the naysayers out there and will show up for the next one with a smile on my face. That same blindness to flaws is what seems to drive Teams Edward and Jacob into a lather.

Matthew Huntley: I agree with Josh that all three factors play a part, but I would say the biggest reason boils down to Twilight overload. Have fans been given enough time to really digest New Moon and really get excited for the next installment? It's like it was shoved into their faces. Summit may feel like they're under a deadline and have

Daron Aldridge: Matthew, I have to disagree that the anticipation of "what happens next" comes into play with this series since the books are such huge sellers and the reason the fanbase is so big. I just don't see that as a factor here. That being said, they might get more hype (which I don't see how, since this film and its stars have been everywhere for the last month or so), if they did wait a full year or more between titles.

Kim Hollis: I think it's really a combination of factors that caused a bit of a downturn from New Moon's box office. I do think that the Wednesday open sucked out (no pun intended) some of the very early adopters, whereas in November, those dollars would have gone to Friday's box office. Meanwhile, there does seem to be an automatic dip in opening weekend box office when you open a film in June/July as opposed to November. It's happened with Harry Potter - another youthful, book-oriented audience - and now Eclipse has followed a similar trajectory. Finally, I do wonder if some people who were willing to give the second movie a chance might not have quit on it after New Moon, since even the most devoted Twilight folks say it's the most boring portion of the story.

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