The final installment of the 'Twilight' series made easy work of the box office this weekend, but failed to take the crown as the franchise's biggest domestic opening.

'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2,' the fifth film in the series about teen vampires from Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.'s Summit Entertainment, took in $141.3 million, making it the eighth-largest domesticopening of all time. While the film failed to beat the franchise's openingweekend record -- set by 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon,' which earned $142.8 million when it hit theaters in 2009 -- its world-wide grosses set a new high for the series of $340.9 million.

The latest in the series, which stars Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner, is also the third 'Twilight' movie to place among the top 10 domestic openings of all time, more than any other franchise.

As expected, the film was propelled by the enthusiasm and attendance of young women, with females making up 79% of the audience, and with 50% of moviegoers under the age of 25. But the studio additionally focused on attracting previously untapped audience members, including preteens and teenagers who were too young to have grown up with the series during its start.

'As our 'Twilight' audience has aged up a little bit, we're hoping that this attracts some of the younger, newer Twi-hards, if you will -- people that weren't aware of the franchise,' said Richie Fay, Lionsgate's president of domestic distribution.

The studio also set its sights on young men and boys by marketing the movie with emphasis on the action-oriented plot, according to Mr. Fay. 'You don't want them to be drag-alongs,' he said. 'You want to them to react positively to it.'

The film's domesticopening helped push Lionsgate to a new milestone: crossing the $1 billion mark in North American earnings for the year.

Record world-wide box office earnings were the focus at another studio, Sony Corp.'s Sony Pictures, where the latest James Bond movie, 'Skyfall,' helped the company report more than $4 billion in global receipts for the year. With this weekend's second-place finish of $41.5 million in North America, 'Skyfall,' also from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. and EON Productions, became the best-performing Bond film of all time, earning cumulative world-wide grosses of $669.2 million. The franchise's previous best was $599.2 million, set by 'Casino Royale' in 2006.

'Lincoln,' the historical drama starring Daniel Day-Lewis, opened in wide release to earn $21 million at the box office, with strong word-of-mouth and reviews putting the film, from DreamWorks Studios and News Corp.'s Twentieth Century Fox, and distributed by Walt Disney Co., in third place. News Corp. also owns The Wall Street Journal.

Disney's animated family film 'Wreck-It Ralph' continued a healthy run, earning $18.3 million in its third week in theaters, and bringing its cumulative domestic total to $121.5 million. The film, about a videogame villain who wants to earn the respect of his peers.

Erica Orden

• series [´siəri:z]   n.连续；系列；丛书   (初中英语单词)
• domestic [də´mestik]   a.家庭的；本国的   (初中英语单词)
• twilight [´twailait]   n.黎明；黄昏   (初中英语单词)
• entertainment [,entə´teinmənt]   n.招(款)待；联欢会   (初中英语单词)
• opening [´əupəniŋ]   n.开放；开端 a.开始的   (初中英语单词)
• enthusiasm [in´θju:ziæzəm]   n.热心；狂热；爱好   (初中英语单词)
• audience [´ɔ:diəns]   n.听众；观众；接见   (初中英语单词)
• previous [´pri:viəs]   a.先，前，以前的   (初中英语单词)
• release [ri´li:s]   vt&n.释放；放松；赦免   (初中英语单词)
• healthy [´helθi]   a.健康的   (初中英语单词)
• installment [in´stɔ:lmənt]   n.分期付款   (高中英语单词)
• summit [´sʌmit]   n.顶(点)；绝顶   (高中英语单词)
• studio [´stju:diəu]   n.画室；照相室   (高中英语单词)
• previously [´pri:viəsli]   ad.预先；以前   (高中英语单词)
• emphasis [´emfəsis]   n.强调；重点   (高中英语单词)
• positively [´pɔzətivli]   ad.确实；断然；绝对   (高中英语单词)
• billion [´biljən]   num.万亿   (高中英语单词)
• historical [his´tɔrikəl]   a.历史(上)的   (高中英语单词)
• weekend [´wi:kend, ,wi:k´end]   n.周末休假   (英语四级单词)
• villain [´vilən]   n.坏人；恶棍；反面角色   (英语四级单词)
• earnings [´ə:niŋz]   n.收益；报酬；获得   (英语六级单词)
• animated [´ænimeitid]   a.栩栩如生的；活跃的   (英语六级单词)