‘New Moon’ Takes Record $72.7M Box Office Bite

First Published: November 21, 2009 12:44 PM EST Credit: WireImage

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Caption Taylor Lautner, Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson arrive at the ‘New Moon’ premiere after party at the Hammer Museum on November 16, 2009 in Westwood, CaliforniaVampires and werewolves have vanquished a dark knight.

“The Twilight Saga: New Moon” took in $72.7 million in its first day to break the single day domestic box office record previously held by “The Dark Knight,” which had a $67.2 million opening day last year.

The Friday haul for the “Twilight” sequel includes a record $26.3 million from midnight screenings alone.

If “New Moon” maintains its pace, it might have a shot at the all-time best opening weekend record of $158.4 million, also held by “The Dark Knight.”

“New Moon” continues the story of teen romance between a girl and a vampire (Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson), with the sequel adding a love triangle with a teen werewolf (Taylor Lautner).

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