Though “Eclipse” is yet four months away, the marketing machine around the third installment of the hugely successful “Twilight” franchise is already up and buzzing.
It wouldn’t be a stretch to suggest that Summit Entertainment could drop “Eclipse” into theaters, practically unannounced, and expect brisk business. But despite its swooning, demographically homogenous and well-connected fan base, the film has some hurdles to clear if it hopes to match the more than $705 million that the first sequel, “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” made in theaters last November.
(Read also: "Is There a 'Twilight' Afterlife for Pattinson, Lautner and Stewart?")
For one thing, this is the first “Twilight” movie to come out in the traditional summer blockbuster season. By its June 30 release date, “Eclipse” will already be crowded by heavyweights such as” Iron Man 2,” “Sex and the City 2,” “Shrek Forever After” and “Toy Story 3.”
And contrary to conventional wisdom, sequels are not always a sure thing – especially No. 3. While there is little chance of “Eclipse” turning into a “Godfather III” flop, many a franchise has reached its sell-by date before its last offering. (Read: "6 Reasons 'Twilight' is Doomed".)
For example, “Matrix Revolution” came out November 5, 2003, and made just over $427 million – far less than its predecessor “Matrix Reloaded,” which made almost $743 million worldwide. The reason: “Reloaded” is widely considered to have soared significantly from its 2003 summer release and an aggressive marketing campaign.
And there’s just such a plan for “Eclipse.”
Mixing old fashion retail hype with social networking to stoke it’s ravenous fans, here’s what Summit has in store to ensure maximum bang and bite for their multi-million dollar buck.
1. TRAILER TEASE: It’s a no-brainer to show the first trailer for “Eclipse” in theaters with the opening of “Remember Me” on March 12th. Another Summit film starring Robert Pattinson, "Remember Me" will surely see an opening-weekend boost from those rabid “Twilight” fans. Summit also teased on Twitter that “Eclipse” fans should “stay tuned for more information on where you can see it earlier that week.” What could they be hinting at?
The winner is ... the Oscars, on March 7. There's precedent for this theory: Summit officially debuted the “New Moon” trailer at last year's MTV Awards, and brought Pattinson, Taylor Lautner and Kristen Stewart to the show to introduce it. If Summit, which declined to comment on trailer possibilities, was looking to have an even bigger impact with “Eclipse,” where would they show it? Gee, maybe where Lautner and Stewart will be that weekend -- presenting at the Academy Awards?
2. LEAK A PEEK: First it was the “Eclipse” poster that got lots of eyeballs when it showed up at the American Film Market in Los Angeles in early November of 2009, promising a far darker day in Forks, Wash. (it was officially revealed on the Twilight Tracker iPhone App on Nov. 19, the day before “New Moon” opened in theaters).
Then late last year, after filming on “Eclipse” had wrapped in late October, photos from the movie started showing up online.
