'New Moon' Off to Hot Start Overseas

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Boding well for a North American premiere some believe could eclipse $100 million, Summit’s “Twilight” follow-up is already off to a hot start abroad, with Australia, France, Italy and Spain reporting strong early returns.

Premiering at midnight on 466 shows Down Under, “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” took in $1.6 million, eclipsing “Star Wars: Episode III” as the region’s highest grossing 12 a.m. show ever.

In France, first-day admissions were almost four times bigger than they were for the first “Twilight,” with the film taking in $4.4 million at 751 locations.

In Italy, “New Moon” grossed $2.7 million playing on 625 screens its first day, enjoying the country’s third biggest Wednesday opening ever behind the last two “Harry Potter” films.

The film also enjoyed a third best-ever Wednesday in Spain, where it garnered $2.2 million on 652 screens.

Opening in the U.S. Friday, the film has already enjoyed incindiary pre-sales. In fact, according to numerous published reports, it's now No. 1 all time in advanced ticket sales on Fandango.