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After the release of “The Twilight Saga: new Moon” fans everywhere were searching for ways to watch “New Moon” online. Pirated versions of the “New Moon” began floating around the Internet just hours after the film’s release. Some websites claimed fans could watch the film online for free after filling out a survey.the website Watchnewmoononline.org cropped up just hours after the film’s release.

According to the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), illegal distribution of films like “New Moon” take a heavy toll on the film industry. a total of $18.2 billion was lost due to pirated films being leaked online in 2005 alone. Copyright attorney Steve Englund says, “It is certainly illegal to put online copyrighted content like a telecast of a fight or a motion picture without authorization. It is a little more complicated question whether it is illegal to watch it when someone else has put it online.”

Spokesperson for the MPAA, Elizabeth Kaltman, told the “Chicago Sun-Times” that only a criminal “walk into Blockbuster or Wal-Mart or best Buy, wherever they’re selling or renting DVDs, take it off the shelf, put it under their arm and not pay for it.” However, the laws regarding ‘watching’ movies online (not actually distributing them) are blurry. What is clear, is that people who distribute pirated content over the Internet will be prosecuted.

If you really want to watch “New Moon” online, there will be perfectly legal ways to do so in the near future. when the original “Twilight” was released on DVD in the spring of 2009, the film was available through Video-On-Demand immediately. This means that legitimate services like Netflix will likely provide streaming online video when the “New Moon” DVD becomes available.

How do you feel about watching movies like “New Moon” online?

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Alex Meraz and Kiowa Gordon were hardly prepared for the female attention they’d get from starring in this year’s hottest movie, New Moon, which hit theaters Friday.

Pre-NM, the guys — who play hunky werewolves in the second Twilight installment — weren’t doing a heck of a lot. These days, the two pals, both 25-year-old Native Americans from Arizona, have girls fainting at the very sight of them.

when they landed the parts, Meraz was a bit actor; Gordon, 19, had never recited a line in his life. the latter had the good fortune of attending church with Stephenie Meyer, the author of the vampire romance series.

“She told me about the open casting call for Native Americans that was coming to Phoenix,” said Gordon, at Nordstrom in Aventura Mall, promoting a line of Twilight-themed clothing. “An hour before, I went to an acting coach. . . . I went in there, did the audition and knocked it out of the park.”

Meraz landed the meaty part in a more conventional way — by trying out.

“I did the audition and was lucky enough to to get a role. I heard there were like 70,000 people who went out for the wolf pack. It’s like winning the lottery.”

Both are stunned by the hoopla — which started even before the movie came out.

“I was kind of bewildered that I just did a movie — my first movie — and now I have tons of fans,” said Meraz. “People are so passionate. You’re stepping into a hot skillet.”

The most passionate people they saw were at a Q&a in Denver.

“After every word we would say, they would start screaming. No one could hear what we were saying anyway,” Gordon recounted. “We actually got a fainter. a girl fainted in the crowd because she was so happy, I guess.”

and not just girls are behind the fervor.

“New Moon is going to bring new audiences that Twilight never had before,” said Meraz. “It’s a more visceral experience with the addition of the wolf pack; it’s more aggressive, more of a male genre movie. It’s gonna be on like Donkey Kong!”

– KABIR KHIATANI & MADDY MARR

According to figures for North America, the vampire romance set a new record for a midnight opening, taking $26.27million and beating Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince’s $22.2million from July 15, which had itself smashed the previous record set by the Dark Knight’s $18.4million from July 18 last year.

The film’s Friday performance (including the Thursday midnight showings that went into the early hours of Friday) went on to take the record for best opening day with $72.7million, beating the Dark Knight which had held the crown previously with $67.2million. the first Twilight made $7million at its midnight showings and $36million on its first day.

All figures are for North American box office; UK and worldwide data is not yet available.

The signs of a big success were there earlier, with Fandango selling more than ten tickets per second on its website on Friday, while MovieTickets.com said New Moon now held its record for the highest number of advance ticket sales.

MovieTickets.com said the film had snatched the No1 spot from Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, surpassing blockbuster film franchises including Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings on its way to set the new record.

MovieTickets.com president Joel Cohen said: “By landing the No1 spot on our advance ticket sellers list, New Moon has broken a record that has stood unchallenged for almost five years.

“While this achievement is significant, it comes as little surprise considering the film’s dedicated fanbase and the growing trend of purchasing advance tickets online for highly anticipated films such as the Twilight series.”

1. They’re hee-eere. Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner, et al.—everyone but series castoff Rachelle Lefevre, pretty much—walked the red carpet at the premiere of The Twilight Saga: new Moon on Monday and continued to light up the talk show circuit (and E!’s microphones) all week. Neither their publicity efforts nor Robsten’s coyness were for naught—their little vampire movie stomped the latest Harry Potter film to set a box-office record for Friday-at-midnight ticket sales (with no help from Miley Cyrus) and is going to make a boatload this weekend, despite the mixed reviews.

2. Judging by the reaction, you would think Oprah Winfrey had pulled a Lou Dobbs. but no, the queen of daytime only announced her projected sign-off date—Sept. 9, 2011, following the end of her 25th season in syndication. Oprah will probably just end up on the talk show maven’s new cable network, OWN, one day…but it will be the end of an era all the same, one that’s already being marked by an outpouring of appreciations and dratted top-nine lists.

Soothe your eyes with the pretty colors in the big Picture gallery.

LOS ANGELES — “The Twilight Saga: new Moon” smashed the record for a single-day opening at the North American box office, and was on track to score one of the biggest weekend tallies of all time, according to preliminary data issued on Saturday.

The vampire romance sequel earned $72.7 million across the United States and Canada on Friday, a figure that includes record-breaking midnight sales of $26.3 million, said the film’s closely held distributor Summit Entertainment.

The old record for a single-day opening was $62.2 million, held by last year’s “Batman” sequel “The Dark Knight,” which went on to become the second-biggest grossing movie of all time in North America before accounting for inflation.

Such heights could be difficult for the “Twilight” sequel to attain. Still, industry observers expect it could finish up with upwards of $125 million for the weekend once Saturday sales data and Sunday estimates are issued early on Sunday.

That would place the film at No. 4 in the record books, behind “The Dark Knight” ($158 million), “Spider-Man 3″ ($151 million), and “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” ($136 million), and ahead of “Shrek the Third” ($122 million), according to tracking firm Box Office Mojo.

The previous record for midnight sales was held by “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” which kicked off its run with $22.2 million in sales in July.

The “New Moon” predecessor, “Twilight,” released exactly a year ago, ended up with $193 million in North America after an opening weekend of $70 million.

The sequel revisits the dangerous romance between high school student Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) and vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson).

After falling in love with each other in “Twilight,” Bella and Edward break up in “New Moon.” Bella finds solace in her friendship with Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner), an American Indian who is also a werewolf. Jacob protects Bella from vampires who kill humans, but she still longs for the gentle blood-sucker Edward who got away.

All the stars have become sex symbols, filling up gossip columns with their quotidian deeds, and fans lined up to see the sequel days before it opened.

The “Twilight” film franchise is based on a series of four novels of the same name by Stephenie Meyer, which her publisher says have sold 85 million copies worldwide. a third film is due out in June.

New Moon: the review

Grade: B+

Bottom Line: Pretty good writing, but the real reason to go is to see Taylor Lautner take his shirt off.

The Twilight Saga: New Moon was not what I expected. as a longtime fan of the books and someone who bought her ticket at least two months ago, I was expecting Twilight 2.0. this was anything but.

The inflated budget for the movie was evident from the beginning, with clearer sound mixing and an obvious lack of the blueish cast the original had. the screenwriters got it right this time around, throwing comedic zingers in just when everything was getting too serious.

As for all the speculation about whether stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson are secretly dating, after seeing this movie many less people will be inclined to think so. while sexual chemistry lacked between Edward and Bella, the tension between Stewart and Taylor Lautner was hotter than his werewolf’s 108 degree temperature.

While some of the performances left a little to be desired, writing was New Moon’s strong suit. It’s worth sticking around until the end: they could teach Medill students a thing or two about writing a kicker.

It’s got tweens and Northwestern kids alike squealing and lining up outside movie theaters. It’s the Twilight series, with the latest hitting theaters on Friday. New Moon star Kellan Lutz sat down with North by Northwestern to talk about his most recent experiences as Emmet Cullen in the blockbuster franchise The Twilight Saga.

Had you read the books before you tried out for the part?

I did not. Once I had the role Ashley [Greene] came by and asked if I read the books and I joked it off, and she ran back and got the books. so then I quickly read those and then I realized after meeting fans that came to set why they’re so amazed, why they’re so marveled by this franchise. the books are amazing, they really are.

Do you think that your portrayal of Emmet the same way it was in the books? what was your approach to creating your character?

It’s definitely important to stick with the cheat sheets you’re given with the books, and having Stephanie [Meyer, the author of The Twilight Saga] there to ask her questions. It’s nice to have a little help, but I also got the role for what I brought to Emmet and what I did in the auditions, I think we all try and make the character that we portray onscreen different and unique and I think that’s what separates us. It’s a cool spin to throw yourself into him.

What can fans expect from Eclipse that’s different from Twilight in general?

It’s more an action movie. I don’t think I would have seen Twilight if I wasn’t a part of it. seeing the trailer I would have thought it was a chick flick. New Moon, right off the bat it looks like a guy-friendly movie, and that’s what it is. It’s is such a cool trailer, it just looks action-packed.

To what extent were you allowed to do your own stunts?

Obviously we all have stunt doubles, it’s kind of mandatory for insurance reasons and stuff. It’s fun doing a fight scene and seeing your stunt guy not do something too crisp, and being like “OK, just let me do it once. Just wanna fight, if I get hurt, I’ll sign off.” And I’ll do it once and they’ll be like “Thank God you did that, because that one’s the best one.”

Has there been anything you haven’t liked about the productions?

With New Moon, I didn’t like how little time I was able to be onset. I wish I was there to hang out with the cast. Kraft service always ran out of meat for me to eat. not enough gummy bears, but no, no complaints.

How was the atmosphere on set in general?

Ashley and I are probably the closest on set, just ‘cuz of the years we’ve had as friends. We always just joke around. And then with the rest of the cast, no one’s changed, which is amazing to see. Everyone’s so down to earth…no one’s changed their numbers, or blocked the cast out. We all hang out in rooms and play board games or the guys would play the guitars. It’s a really good group of actors, very talented.

There has been some shake-ups as far as casting, and then there have been changes with directors. How is that adjusting to new cast members as well as a new director for New Moon and then Eclipse?

I don’t think one director could capture every book and turn it into a movie because they’re so different. With Catherine’s energy and art background Twilight was more an independent movie. And for the second movie, we had more funding and more a love triangle [and] more action-packed. With the CGI background that Chris has, he was a no-brainer to be picked as that director. And with the third one it’s dark, edgy. David Slade has such a mastermind way of looking at that script.

You’re talking about Rachel and Bryce Dallas Howard. they both brought an amazing energy to the screen. it was really cool to see Bryce step into those shoes. They’re hard shoes to fill when you have a fan base who fell in love with one actor who’s doing it. but she kicks butt in Eclipse.

Given the popularity of the Twilight Saga, have you been approached offset by fans or mobbed by fans?

Yeah. I’ll be walking down the street with my dog and I’ll hear a car screech and these girls jump out and they’re like “EMMET!” or “KELLAN!” And you start running…but no, the fans are adorable. There is really so much love, it’s really cool to have fans like that.

Since you’re so famous for playing a vampire, what’s your favorite vampire movie?

There’s some really cool vampires in there. Underworld with Kate Beckinsale, I just think she’s sexy, especially when she wears leather and depicts a vampire. And then The Lost Boys, you can’t go wrong. Kiefer Sutherland’s amazing in that and From Dusk till Dawn…awesome movie.

If New Moon, the latest chapter in The Twilight Saga, has a break-out star, it would have to be Taylor Lautner. While Lautner appeared in last year’s Twilight, it was a small role, a tease of what was to come for the book series’ fans. This time around, the teenaged actor has packed on more muscle than you’ve probably got on your body just to play Jacob Black, a young Native American who — and I’m not ruining anything here, since trailers give it away — discovers he didn’t just get a bit beefier over summer vacation. he became a werewolf. I sat down with Lautner recently to discuss what went into the role, as well as his upcoming part in the romantic comedy Valentine’s Day.

Cole Haddon: your character, Jacob Black, goes through a lot of changes in New Moon.

Taylor Lautner: Basically, my job was to continue what I started in Twilight, which was this extremely happy, friendly, outgoing guy. Best friends with Bella [Kristen Stewart]. I had to continue that for the first half of the film, but, as soon as I transform [into a werewolf], I snap and I become a completely different person. I’m dealing with my issues, and it’s really hard for me.

CH: I imagine the preparation for that transformation began by hitting the gym, to pack on 30 pounds of muscle.

TL: Absolutely. Jacob transforms a lot in New Moon, not only physically but mentally and emotionally as well. so it was a matter of getting to the gym, and eating the right food, and a lot of it. but also reading and studying the book and the character over and over and over again so I could have his character down as well, because he changes in many, many different ways.

CH: the filmmakers certainly took advantage of the new physique. you spend most of the movie shirtless, starting with that moment where you rip off your tee-shirt to wipe a cut on Bella’s forehead.

TL: I start laughing so hard every time I see that scene. “You’re bleeding? OK, let me fix it [with my sweaty shirt].” It’s so embarrassing. Yeah. I mean, here’s the thing: there’s a reason that he’s not wearing clothes all the time. One, when he transforms, all his clothes get shredded. he can’t help it. and when he goes into the woods to get something to put on so he’s not naked, it’s just a ripped pair of jean shorts. He’s also hot. He’s 108 degrees. so that’s another reason. the thing is, I love this character, I love this story, and putting on the weight and not wearing much clothing was required by the role. A year from now, if I love a story and I love a character that requires me to lose 40 pounds, I’m ready to do it.

CH: but those scenes in the forest, all that cold rain. Putting on or losing weight is hard enough, but working in those kind of conditions, half-naked, couldn’t have been much fun.

TL: Yeah, the challenging thing is Jacob is supposed to be extremely hot, so he’s not supposed to feel cold at all. and the worst scene for that was the rain scene, the breakup scene where Bella first sees Jacob after his transformation. We’re standing on this little hill right behind Jacob’s house, and it was 35 degrees, and it was pouring rain on top of us, not regular rain, rain tower rain, which comes straight from the springs. and the scene was very long. it took four minutes to film the scene, and we filmed the same scene all day long. so it was really, really rough. it was hard. and as soon as we’d call cut, we’d run over to a heater quick and wrap ourselves in blankets, and we’d have, like, two minutes off before we’d have to go do another take. so the weather was definitely extremely challenging. I just had to take myself to another world so during the scene I wasn’t sitting there shivering. it was hard. sometimes I’d catch myself, and I’d have to stop.

CH: With Edward Cullen largely taking a backseat to Jacob’s romance with Bella in New Moon, was there ever any concern that you would overshadow Robert Pattinson’s presence in the movie? In other words, did you have to temper your performance in any way? Because you’re very winning in the role.

TL: Thank you very much. I think it depends on what kind of girl you are, what kind of guy you like. Edward and Jacob are complete opposite guys. They’re hot and cold. Literally. so yeah, I mean it’s just, I personally love Bella and Jacob’s relationship, how they begin as best friends, and it starts to grow into something more and more. both guys are in love with Bella. both guys are always going to be there for Bella, and they’re protective. I just think it’s what kind of guy you like.

CH: and how did you handle all the stunt and wire work? was that very difficult to get used to?

TL: The physical side was really fun. some of it was challenging. I’d never ridden a dirt bike before. and yes, I rode the dirt bike for a total of about five seconds in the film, but, for those five seconds, I had to look as cool as possible. so it did require a lot of practice just, for safety-wise, so they’d let me do it. and the wire work, like when I run up the side of her house, that whole thing, the wires were there so, if I slipped and fell, I didn’t face plant into the ground. but it was definitely challenging. that stunt was really complicated. you need to be on. I’m using a little plug in the side of the wall to take off from and jump, so it’s really complicated and it required a lot of practice. every single weekend I would practice that stunt for three hours a day. it was the last thing we filmed.

CH: What did you think of your CGI wolf when you got to see it on screen?

TL: I was blown away. I was really excited. Because when I’m filming, the famous trailer shot when I’m running through the field and I jump up and try and fly in midair, I’m attached to wires and I’m running, and I let the wires pull me up in the air, and jerk me to a stop, and I just have to freeze there and let them convert my body into a CGI wolf. the whole time I’m like, “I hope I look cool.” and yeah, after I saw the final version last week, after I saw the wolves, it was amazing. and the fight scene that comes right after that, the fight between Jacob and Paul Wolf, was so cool. I thought they were extremely powerful, and looked very real.

CH: With you being so busy with work on The Twilight Saga, and this being the end of your teenage years, how are you trying to relish all this and make sure it doesn’t all become a blur in five years?

TL: I must say I’m having the time of my life. it couldn’t be a better end to my teenage years. I’m doing what I love, and I’m spending time with the people that I love. so it’s great. I’m definitely never, ever going to forget this.

CH: aside from the physical, how has being part of this phenomenon transformed you?

TL: really, I’d have to say the biggest transformation would be my schedule. I’m really, really busy, but it’s a lot of fun. I just got back from South America yesterday, and here I am today for three days. and then I go to Europe. so I’m really, really busy, but it’s been a lot of fun. It’s been a great experience. I’m really excited to be part of this thing.

CH: Can you talk about Valentine’s Day, which will be your next movie to hit the big screens?

TL: It’s going to be fun, there were a lot of fantastic actors in it. I got to work with legendary director Garry Marshall … so I’m excited for everyone to see that.

CH: was it hard to squeeze it into that busy schedule you were talking about?

TL: it was hard, yeah. we had a very short break between New Moon and Eclipse, and I knew that I wanted to be part of this film somehow, just to work with Garry and the entire cast [which includes Julia Roberts, Jennifer Garner, and Jamie Foxx]. so I was able to squeeze a short thing in, quickly.

View the original article on film.com

“New Moon” director Chris Weitz seems pretty pleased with the way he ended the second movie in the “Twilight Saga.” but the fans who have already gotten a chance to see the movie are still reeling from Weitz’s directorial decision. Not to give too much away, but some said it wasn’t the conclusion they’d expected.

“I was really surprised by the ending, the way they kept us hanging like that,” Jordana de la Cruz from Rhode Island told MTV News, after seeing a midnight screening in New York. “I hated it, but I liked it at the same time.”

Several fans who had read Stephenie Meyer’s novels regarded the movie’s ending, which involves Edward and Bella on the verge of something big, as the biggest surprise in the whole movie. “The book had more to the ending, and I liked where they left it here, like a cliff-hanger for the next one that’s coming out,” Twilight Mom Sandy Moffit from Illinois told us.

Jillian Rovrer from Daytona Beach, Florida, told us that though she was surprised by the ending, “it wasn’t as exciting as other parts of the movie. it was to be expected.”

Although the fans didn’t want to give too much away when asked about it, they did reveal that fellow Twilighters are going to have the rug pulled out from under them. “I wouldn’t. … it’s a spoiler, but the way it ended, what happened before the blackout, is the big deal,” Habiba Tinubu said. “Everyone just screamed and was shocked that it ended.”

Check out everything we’ve got on “The Twilight Saga: New Moon.”

For young Hollywood news, fashion and “Twilight” updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com.

METRO VANCOUVER — like Alice Cullen, the clairvoyant vampire of the popular movies, Twilight fans know how new Moon is going to end.

But that didn’t stop Twi-hards across Metro Vancouver from going out Thursday night to get a sneak peek at how the second book in the series by Stephenie Meyer looks on the big screen.

Theresa Riley, a 14-year-old Windsor secondary student, waited outside the Cineplex Odeon Park & Tilford in North Vancouver with her friend Anya Rawla to see a 10 o’clock show.

“Apparently it’s sold out,” she said, excitedly, wearing a gold dress and red beret to look like — who else? — Alice.

“There’s no one in line, but I’m sure there’s lots of people already in there.”

Fans of the vampire romance snatched up tickets to see late-night screenings at nearly a dozen theatres across Metro Vancouver. the movie opens wide Friday.

The sequel to 2008’s Twilight sets up a love triangle between high school student Bella Swan (played by Kristen Stewart), her friend — and werewolf — Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) and her vampire lover Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson).

The movie is expected to tally one of the biggest openings ever for a non-summer film.

New Moon, and its follow up Eclipse, were filmed around Metro Vancouver. Fans flocked to shooting locations just to catch a glimpse of the stars.

“I was excited when they were filming in Vancouver, just to see them,” Riley said.

She has an idea of what makes people so crazy about the series, and its stars. she first read the books two years ago, she said, and has read them three to five times each since.

“I think they like the idea of true love lasting forever. And of course everyone likes the whole paranormal sort of fantasy vampire stories.”

“I like how the vampires are like real people.”

Which is why she dressed up like Alice: “Alice is sort of like a bouncy person who’s always nice and smiling, and she reminds me of myself, other than the whole seeing the future thing.”

It doesn’t take a psychic to know that new Moon will be a monster at the box office, and that Twilight fans won’t be able to wait to sink their teeth into the next movie.

Eclipse is set to be released June 30, 2010.

(CNN) — Are they or aren’t they a couple? That’s the multimillion-dollar question fueling the “Twilight” franchise.

According to gossip magazines, Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart have been hooking up, breaking up, making up and shacking up for the past year. And as long as Pattinson and Stewart manage to keep fans guessing about the status of their relationship, they will manage to keep them captivated, helping to drive the box office sales for a movie that could have one of the biggest opening weekends of all time.

“Rob and Kristen become significantly less interesting as they confirm their love. The intrigue over Rob and Kristen stems from their youthful lust, and passion, and on-and-off, whirlwind relationship,” said Jared Shapiro, executive editor of Life & Style Weekly, the first weekly magazine to put Rob and Kristen on their cover. “It’s part of the fascination, that while real, they are also part fantasy.”

Early on in the Rob-Sten (as MTV has begun to call them) mania, the pair issued denials of their love. Stewart claimed that in Rob she had found a “good buddy.” Rob joked that he had asked Kristen to marry him several times but she just kept denying him.

But the press just kept digging, and as “New Moon” and “Eclipse” began filming in Vancouver the press was voraciously searching for any evidence at all that Rob and Kristen were an item: overanalyzing hand-holding on set, a steamier-than-expected love scene. Some outlets even called in body language experts to decode what a foot placement or arm cross meant for their relationship status.

“I must say the more forthcoming they have been lately with their romance, the more satisfying it is for me as an editor,” Shapiro said.

As the opening of “New Moon” has gotten closer, jokes and denials have been replaced by radio silence and indignant how-dare-you-ask-me-thats.

Pattinson was ushered out of a radio interview this week by a handler after radio host Ryan Seacrest dared to ask him about his relationship with Stewart. Pattinson initially tried to work around the question but his staff, angry with Seacrest, gathered the star and told him his time was up.

Journalists who have been granted access to the stars prior to the movie’s release have been told by the film’s publicity team that they were not allowed to ask questions about their love life, especially when it comes to Pattinson and Stewart.

Stewart recently told Entertainment Weekly, “I probably would’ve answered [the romance question] if people hadn’t made such a big deal about it. But I’m not going to give the ‘fiending’ an answer.” (”Fiending” meaning celebrity press, of course.)

Bonnie Fuller, current editor-in-chief of HollywoodLife.com and former head of magazines such as US Weekly and Star, believes that Stewart and Pattinson are actually a couple, confirmed by photos of the pair holding hands in Paris that emerged last week, but said that the dialogue the romance has created has absolutely helped to fuel the frenzy around the franchise.

“I think the romance is real. Look at the paparazzi pictures of them holding hands. I don’t think they are a set-up,” Fuller said. “Of course it is going to boost ticket sales and I think the producers just had the fortunate situation of having had their stars falls for each other.”

Real or faux, on-set romances don’t always translate into dollars at the box office. Persistent rumors of a love affair between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie on the set of “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” generated enormous buzz for the film, which opened to more than $50 million in box office sales.

iReport: Share your reviews of “New Moon”

On the flip side, romantic ties between Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez could have contributed to the disastrous performance of their joint project, “Gigli,” at the box office. “Gigli” generated only $3 million in its opening weekend.

“Co-star coupling is a mixed bag,” said Borys Kit, senior film writer for The Hollywood Reporter. “Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck were dating when ‘Gigli’ became one of the biggest bombs of the decade because they were an unpopular couple to begin with. But on the flip side you had Brad Pitt and Angelina’s romance helping to make ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith’ a hit.”

This Rob-Sten relationship could be one of two things. it could be a complete fauxmance, with Rob and Kristen playing the part of lovers to raise fan curiosity and drive interest in their films — or they truly could have fallen in love, as so many actors have done before them, while spending endless hours together on the set.

Regardless of whether it is fauxmance or true romance, there is no denying that their refusal to discuss their romantic involvement just makes people hungry for more and drives them into the box office.

“Twilight” grossed more than $400 million in worldwide sales. “New Moon” had the most advance ticket sales of all time, according to online ticketer Fandango.com. The Hollywood Reporter projects that the film will make at least $85 million in its opening weekend.

“Whether they are dating or not is almost incidental at this point,” Kit said. ” ‘New Moon’ is going to be huge regardless of Rob and Kristen dating.”