Twilight boosts Entertainment One
Monday November 23 2009
Record-breaking box office takings for the latest instalment of vampire romance The Twilight Saga has seen shares surge ahead for its UK film distributor.
Entertainment One saw shares leap 8% after The Twilight Saga: New Moon - starring British actor and teen heartthrob Robert Pattinson - raked in more than £11 million in its opening weekend since last Friday's release.
This set a three-day box office record for a US-produced film in the UK, according to Entertainment One, which has the exclusive distribution rights in the UK and Canada.
The firm said the Twilight sequel also took more than 11 million Canadian dollars in Canada and is "substantially" outperforming the first movie.
The Twilight films, based on the books by Stephenie Meyer, have made stars of its leads, Mr Pattinson as the lovelorn vampire Edward Cullen and Kristen Stewart, who plays high school student Bella Swan in the film.
Entertainment One reaps a proportion of box office sales - usually around 30% or 40% - as well as the takings from DVDs, broadcast and digital rights sales.
Chief finance officer Giles Willits said the group was "all smiles" after the film's successful opening weekend.
And it is looking forward to a third in the Twilight series, with Eclipse due out on June 30 next year.
Entertainment One has a content library including more than 4,000 feature films and 15,000 music soundtracks.
As well as film distribution, it also handles television and music production and distribution.
Press Association
