Welcome to Twilight Economy

By Maggie Martin

Love it or hate it, Stephenie Meyer’s extremely popular Twilight Saga has been a high-grossing phenomenon for women (and some man) of all ages. With the sales of the books themselves, five movies, dolls, clothing, and even cars to match the character’s, the economy has benefitted beyond anything they could have imagined.

                                                            Author Stephenie Meyer

Twilight

                                                                       New Moon

                                                                        Eclipse

                                                                Breaking Dawn Part 1

The Books

Meyer first published Twilight in 2005 with little success to begin. But by December of 2011, Little, Brown Company (her publisher) had sold nearly $116 million in the four books along with a companion novella and an illustrated guide. Many times, Twilight has been compared to the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling who has made over $450 million dollars in the franchise (with seven books, eight movies, and over 15 years). In reference, Meyer’s sales have spiked faster, and made more impact per book sales-wise. The book was also claimed the fastest book to sell 1 million copies by Waterstone’s in 2006.

Below are the neweset editions to the Twilight franchise: The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner (novela) and the Twilight Complete Illustrated Guide

Works Cited

Alexander, Harriet. "Twilight: Book Breaks Sales Records - Telegraph." Telegraph.co.uk - Telegraph Online, Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph - Telegraph. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/6590249/Twilight-book-breaks-sales-records.html>.

The Movies

Just two years after Twilight was published, Meyer’s series was picked up as a movie with Summit Entertainment. For the first movie, it was fairly low-budget and not expected to have much monetary impact. The first sale amounted to $397,923,934 surpassing the goals by a long-run. For New Moon the budget was much higher and the price jump paid off. The movie brought in $712,623,634 in revenue. The success kept skyrocketing, totaling in $2,392,279,319 for the entire movie sales of the saga (and counting, Breaking Dawn Part 1 is still bringing in revenue along with Breaking Dawn Part 2 next November).

The movie has surpassed many midnight ticket purchasing markers. When Twilight originally came out it was #6 on the all-time pre-puchased movie ticket list. The others have surpassed that marker as well.

 Get your tickets to The Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn Part 1 here http://bit.ly/rajJvp
Works Cited

"The Twilight Saga Box Office Data, Movie News, Cast Information - The Numbers." The Numbers - Movie Box Office Data, Film Stars, Idle Speculation. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. <http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/2010/TWLI3.php>.

Weintraub, Steve. "Twilight Has Joined the List of Top Ten Advanced Ticket-Sellers on Fandango." Collider. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. <http://collider.com/entertainment/tv/article.asp?aid=9908&tcid=1>.

The DVDs

No movie would be complete without its DVD sales. The first movie came out with many different types of DVD options (special editions, sold at different stores in different versions). The sales helped the franchise move even further in their economic growth.

The original Twilight 3 Disc Special edition sold only at Target came with a code to download the movie to iTunes. Since the growth in popularity in buying movies on iTunes, the option was no longer available for later dates, causing the Twilight Saga digital downloads to soar.

To purchase the Twilight DVD along with the others, you can download on iTunes or purchase DVDs here on Amazon http://amzn.to/tsLiGy

Works Cited

"The Twilight Saga Box Office Data, Movie News, Cast Information - The Numbers." The Numbers - Movie Box Office Data, Film Stars, Idle Speculation. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. <http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/2010/TWLI3.php>.

The Sountracks

The soundtracks (and scores) to the movies were extremely popular companions to the movie. On the first week that the Twilight soundtrack came out, it debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200 and sold 165,000 copies (29% digital). For New Moon, Hot Topic hosted New Moon soundtrack “listening parties” before the soundtrack ever came out as a marketing technique. It sold 153,000 copies in its first week. Eclipse sold $146,000 copies in the first week. Eclipse didn’t perform as well chart-wise. Breaking Dawn Part 1 sold $105,000 copies in the first week and received more unfavorable reviews.

                                               Twilight Soundtrack Billboard placing week 1

                                                  New Moon billboard placing week 1

                                                Eclipse billboard placing week 1

                                                  Breaking Dawn billboard placing week 1
Purchase the first Twilight Soundtrack (as well as the others) on iTunes or here on Amazon: http://amzn.to/rJj53K

Works Cited:

"Twilight Saga Sountracks." Wikipedia. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Twilight_Saga:_Breaking_Dawn_%E2%80%93_Part_1_(soundtrack)>.

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The Twi-rock

Like other popular Fandoms (mainly Harry Potter) there are some Twi-rock bands that made it to the scene with success after the first novel was published. One band, The Mitch Hansen band, released two CD’s (Twilight Hour and Endless Days) inspired by the Twilight books selling on iTunes and on his personal website. Other Twi-rock bands found their audiences by speaking on Twilight podcasts available on iTunes like Bloodsuckers and Imprint. The CD’s are still available on iTunes for $9.99.

Listen to The Mitch Hansen Band here: http://bit.ly/vC7BVs 

Works Cited:

"The Mitch Hansen Band Rocked Dazzled By Twilight’s Twilight Lounge on Stephenie Meyer Day | Dazzled By Twilight." Dazzled By Twilight. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. <http://dazzledbytwilight.com/the-mitch-hansen-band-rocked-dazzled-by-twilights-twilight-lounge-on-stephenie-meyer-day/>.

Hot Topic Success

The store Hot Topic took a huge leap when they decided to pick up the Twilight franchise in clothing, key chains, dolls, and even perfume. Comparing their sales statistics, in 2007, Hot Topic had a -2.1% increase in sales while in 2008 when they began carrying the Twilight line (the first store to do this) they raised their sales value to 6.5%, while the next year when the sales cooled down their sales revenue went down by -12%. Other franchises have attempted to bring back Twilight’s initial success (Alice in Wonderland, Harry Potter) but sales never spiked again.

Interested in Hot Topic's Twilight merchandise? Visit the Twilight Hot Topic page here: http://bit.ly/tKoIGl

                                                          Breaking Dawn merch from Hot Topic

"Hottopic." Hot Topic Twilight Tshirts. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. <http://search.hottopic.com/search?p=KK>.

"May 2009 Same Store Sales - Holiday Boosts, Shopping Budget Cuts, Tax Refund Spending and Charts Without Wal-Mart Confuse U.S. Retail Industry." Retail Industry - Retail Stores, Sales, Management, Marketing, Jobs, Companies, Trends and Analysis in the U.S. and Global Retail Industry. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. <http://retailindustry.about.com/od/2009usretailanalysis/a/May_Same_Store_Sales_News_Analysis_2.htm>.

Other Clothing Success

After Hot Topic’s success other clothing stores copied their theme. Nordstrom’s came out with a Twilight themed line that was more “cute” than the Hot Topic clothing available and more inviting for younger shoppers who still loved Jacob and Edward.

                                                      Nordstrom's line of Twilight clothing

Get the Nordstrom's clothing here: http://bit.ly/2E6dLS 

Other parts of the cast’s clothing have been auctioned off or replicas made of them. Most recently, Bella’s famous wedding dress from Breaking Dawn Part 1 has been made available in mass production for the low price of $799… Not to be confused with the real $35,000 designed by Carolina Herrera actually used in the movie. How similar the fabric is? Extremely downgraded, but it still has the classic famous look that buyers everywhere would want for themselves.

                                     On left: Alfred Angelo dress On right: Carolina Herrera dress

Also new to this year’s line is Twilight inspired formal wear with the Prom 2012 Romantic Vampire line by the same designer of the replica dress, Alfred Angelo.

To see more of the Prom 2012 Romantic Vampire line, go here http://bit.ly/rKfFhO 

                                   Dress from Alfred Angelo's Prom 2012 Romantic Vampire line

Works Cited:

Angelo, Alfred. "Prom 2012: Romantic Vampire." Wedding Dresses | Bridal Gowns | Bridesmaid Dresses - The Official Site of Alfred Angelo Bridal. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. <http://www.alfredangelo.com/collections/displaycollection.aspx?CategoryId=e6dbe20d-ae20-4930-a9a6-0a6d623d636d>.

Sinclair, Jessica. "Bella Swan Wedding Dress: For Sale | Long Island Press." Long Island News from the Long Island Press. Long Island Press. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. <http://www.longislandpress.com/2011/11/27/bella-swan-wedding-dress-for-sale/>.

"Nordstrom Twilight Clothing | Twilight Guide." Twilight, Breaking Dawn Movie News, Eclipse, New Moon Pictures & Merchandise. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. <http://twilightguide.com/tg/2009/07/23/nordstrom-twilight-clothing/>.

The Barbie Dolls

And the ever-famous Barbie doll. In 2008 Mattel released the first Edward and Bella Collector Barbie dolls for $39.95 It seems everyone from Justin Bieber to Edward Cullen have wound up in Barbie form in the past few years. Buyers originally could by the Edward Cullen and Bella Swan Barbie dolls for the price of $39.95, but now they have been mass produced enough (including some friends, Jacob, Alice, Victoria, and Jane) that they have made it down to $29.99 in retail stores. Again, the doll form is appealing to an even younger audience because really, who else is going to pay for the Barbie. 

                                                  Bella, Edward, and Jacob Collector Barbies

To buy your own Twilight Saga Barbies visit Amazon here: http://amzn.to/rNzbHl 

Works Cited

Twilight Barbies. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. <http://twilightbarbies.com/>.

The Shiny Volvos

After Edward’s famously written Volvo captured readers, the company decided to market on the angle. They had subtle product placement in the first Twilight since it was described that he had a small signature silver Volvo. But, as the movies progressed, Edwards tiny Volvo turned into whatever was the big selling item at Volvo… the bigger and shinier the better. They even began with commercials of Edward claiming that you could have his car too… even though the thought had strayed far away from his real car. For the latest film Breaking Dawn, Volvo held contests like “Journey to the Wedding” to win the car featured in the movie: a Volvo S60 which at base level starts at $31,150… a little much for a newlywed couple.

                                              Bella and Edward with their new Volvo S60

“Volvo Car's appearance in the first film in the franchise, Twilight, led to increased sales of the Volvo C30 at several Volvo dealers, particularly in the US market. After the release of The Twilight Saga: New Moon, dealers reported increased interest in the Volvo XC60 and noted that customers came to showrooms to photograph their children in the "Twilight car". Volvo is being increasingly perceived by youngsters as "cool", and moms of teenagers are showing increasing interest, thanks to the enthusiasm of their kids.” (VolvoCars)

To purchase your own car or to view the Summit Entertainment marketing for Volvo, visit this link: http://bit.ly/s2f5Pl

"Summit Entertainment's The Twilight Saga: Eclipse Features the Volvo XC60." Volvo Car Corporation – Volvo Cars Country Selector. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. <http://www.volvocars.com/intl/top/about/news-events/pages/default.aspx?itemid=178>.

Woodyard, Chris. "Volvo Milks Its Role in 'Twilight Saga' Film." News, Travel, Weather, Entertainment, Sports, Technology, U.S. & World - USATODAY.com. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. <http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2011/11/volvo-milks-its-role-in-twilight-saga-film/1>.

Worldwide Effect

The world has been taken by storm my the Twilight Franchise, not just the U.S. where it was originally published. Most of the gross of ticket and DVD sales for the movies were contributed from world-wide gross. The books were first sold in 2006 with 26 countries on the list. The world-wide sales are figured into Meyer’s $116 million franchise and no statistics are shown about sales figures purely internationally.

The books in over 26 countries have been extremely successful. Here are some of the covers from the different countries.

                                                                        Denmark

                                                                          Germany

                                                                         Indonesia

                                                                         Japan

To learn more about the international sales of the Twilight books visit Stephenie Meyer's website at http://bit.ly/tpT8Q 

Works Cited:

"Stephenie Meyer- American Teen Fiction Author." Waterstone's. Web. http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/navigate.do?pPageID=200000424.

"StephenieMeyer.com | Twilight Series | Twilight | International." StephenieMeyer.com | The Official Website of Stephenie Meyer. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. <http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/twilight_international.html>.

And in Conclusion...

The Twilight Saga has taken teenage daughters and their mothers by storm and has hit every vein imaginable for a franchise: books, movies, cars, music, clothing, dolls, etc. The fans are passionate and spend their money on each thing, helping to boost the economy not only in the U.S. but around the world as well. Booklovers and Moviegoers everywhere have been effected by the series (whether they liked it or not). The Twilight Saga is still making its mark with new special edition books coming out and, of, course, the final movie set to hit theaters in November of 2012. Twilight isn’t leaving anytime soon and neither is its positive impact.

To purchase the series, visit http://amzn.to/uGbtYB