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David Mumpower I watched the first three Twilight movies before skipping the fourth one, an unusual step for me as I attempt to see every wide release each year. The primary enjoyment I received from any of it was the vampire baseball scene Kim mentioned because that is as unintentionally hilarious as anything I've seen since MST3K ended. While I receive no entertainment from the Twilight franchise, this is not a new experience for me.

I have maintained for many years now that popularity is a self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts. As much as the thought annoys some, Twilight now is no different from Star Wars from 1977 to 1983. The quality of the movies was irrelevant. A herd mentality was triggered where consumers accepted in their collective conscious that Star Wars something to love. Twilight is the female equivalent of it in that people discover a certain level of comfort liking the same thing as their peers. Star Wars is still popular 30 years later. We will see if the same holds true of Twilight. I suspect that this brand has legs, aggravating as that thought is.

With regards to the box office, there are not enough superlatives in the English language to glorify the franchise the appropriate amount. Ignoring this week's results with Breaking Dawn Part 2, a financial investment of $265 million has produced $1.8 billion in global revenue. This is a return of $6.80 for every dollar spent. If you manage this ratio buying stocks, the SEC will investigate you for insider trading. The accomplishment boggles the mind.

It's Lincoln vs. vampires for a second time in 2012

Kim Hollis: Steven Spielberg's Lincoln opened to $21 million. What are your thoughts on this result?

Jason Barney: I have always been fascinated by Lincoln. I think most Americans are. Going all the way back to Ken Burns series, The Civil War, there is just a desire by each generation to explore the tall, lanky, small town guy who became the leader of the United States. Lincoln is one of the icons of American history, if not the most popular president, so it is only logical Hollywood would explore stories about him.

The solid reviews are going to help push that $21 million dollar figure a lot higher in the coming weeks. I know this is a film I plan on seeing and a lot of people I talk to are eager to see it also. The strength of the top 10 means it will never be #1 at the box office, but it is easily going to make back the amount of money it took to make it. It is nice to see a historical film breaking out like this.

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