May the fangs be with you! The “Twilight” series has picked up where “Star Wars” left off. From its rabid fan base to its soap-operatic plot, wooden dialogue and cutting-edge special effects, Stephenie Meyer’s vampire romance epic has trumped George Lucas’ intergalactic adventure for sheer pop-cultural domination.
“The Twilight Saga: New Moon,” out today, has expanded the brand into “Star Wars”-esque merchandise: action figures, fast-food sponsorships, a line of clothing (Robert Pattinson panties, anyone?).
The major difference?
“Twilight” mania runs on girl power. And Darth Vader-costumed dorks have nothing on them when it comes to launching a movie into the box-office stratosphere.
Advance ticket sales at Fandango.com and movietickets.com have already beaten “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith,” the previous all-time record holder. And today’s “New Moon” release promises to smash weekend sales records the same way Lucas’ movies did — no matter whether the critics (who are, like, totally ancient) praise it or hate it.
Han Solo fans can balk at the comparison if they want, but it’s a fact. Take it from the reaction of director Kevin Smith, who took his teenage daughter to the Los Angeles premiere of “New Moon”: “Felt like how my parents must’ve felt when they’d take young me to ‘Star Wars’ flicks,” he tweeted. “I’m glad the kid likes it, but I’m confused as f – – k.”
Chastised by a fan for daring to mention the two films in the same breath, he retorted: “Admit it: They’re about even in the fan fervor and dialogue departments.”
PHOTOS: BEST/WORST DRESSED AT NYC “NEW MOON” PREMIERE
Yes, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner and Kristen Stewart are the new Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher — destined to forever exist only as Edward, Jacob and Bella to an entire generation of fans. And for every “Star Wars” expert who can tell you where Luke was going to pick up those power converters and explain the importance of whether Greedo shot first, there’s a Twihard who can re-enact Edward’s first science class with Bella and chronicle the Jacob casting controversy of the second film.
“New Moon” screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg says she learned firsthand just what she was dealing with when she attended a Comic-Con event the summer before the release of “Twilight.”
“The cast came out onstage, and it really was like those documentaries of The Beatles, with the screaming,” she says. “And I finally got it, like, ‘Oh, my God.’ ”
Rosenberg feared the wrath of the fans if she got it wrong — a justifiable worry, given the worldwide outrage that accompanied the crappy three final movies of the “Star Wars” series.
“They showed a clip of the final fight scene, and just before it started, I had this panic attack,” she says. “I didn’t use every word, word for word, like it was in the book! I thought: Oh, my God. They’re going to kill me.” But she underestimated the power of Pattinson. “They rolled the clip — and the crowd loved it.”