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'New Moon' showings selling out at area theaters

From left to right, actors Taylor Lautner, Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson pose for the photographers prior to the UK fan party of their new film 'New Moon' in London, Wednesday Nov. 11, 2009.

AP photo From left to right, actors Taylor Lautner, Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson pose for the photographers prior to the UK fan party of their new film 'New Moon' in London, Wednesday Nov. 11, 2009.

Premieres are selling out, and theaters are expecting large turnouts of “Twilight” fans next week.

By Terry Morris, Staff Writer Updated 11:27 PM Wednesday, November 11, 2009

DAYTON — Shane Wright was a concession stand clerk the last time a midnight showing sold out at Showcase Huber Heights.

“It was ‘Star Wars II’ ” (2002), Wright said.

There’s a new blockbuster in town: “The Twilight Saga: New Moon.” Wright, now the theater’s manager, said that as of Tuesday, Nov. 10, all seats for the 12:01 a.m. Nov. 20 premiere were gone.

The frenzy is national for the sequel to “Twilight,” based on the best-selling novels by Stephenie Meyer.

Online merchant movietickets.com reported Nov. 11 that “New Moon” had sold more than four times as many tickets as “Twilight” had at the same point in time in the sales cycle.

More than 1,300 screenings were sold out nationally, 900 of them midnight shows.

Joel Cohen, executive vice president and general manager for movietickets.com said “New Moon” might end up “as one of our top advance ticket sellers of all-time.” This week the film has accounted for 74 percent of the merchant’s ticket sales.

The movie is especially popular with teens and pre-teens. Kayla Hearn, 12, of Dayton said she was hoping to attend a midnight showing on the opening weekend, but didn’t have her ticket yet.

“I want to go because the first movie leaves you hanging on what will happen next, plus the previews look really good,” said the seventh-grader at Pathway School of Discovery.

“My mom sort of wants to go and my dad sort of does, too. My little sister is all about it, just like I am,” she said.

Dayton area ticket buyers also have been ravenous at Regal Hollywood 20 in Fairfield Commons, where the premiere was sold out as of Tuesday. Seats were still available for additional screenings that night and on future dates.

Dayton Showcase South’s 12:01 a.m. show in its 412-seat big room was teetering on sellout status. The addition of at least one more showing, perhaps several, is anticipated.

Wright said Showcase Huber Heights “will keep adding showings until we run out of prints. Start times will each be five minutes later than the previous one.”

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