Vampires return in ‘New Moon’
Movie: "The Twilight Saga: New Moon"
When: Opening Friday at local theaters
Cast: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner
Director: Chris Weitz
The story: Bella Swan, heartbroken after Edward Cullen and his vampire clan depart to keep her out of danger, finds solace in the form of longtime friend Jacob Black -- who, like Edward, has a deep, dark secret that could put Bella's life in danger.
The buzz: Director Weitz ("About a Boy," "The Golden Compass") takes over from "Twilight" director Catherine Hardwicke, but that hasn't dampened box-office prospects for the second cinematic version of Stephenie Meyer's best-selling novels; online ticket service MovieTickets.com reports more than 1,300 sold-out performances (including 900 midnight shows) for "New Moon" a week prior to Friday's debut; that's more than four times as many tickets as "Twilight" sold at the same point in the sales cycle last year, according to MovieTickets.com.
