How Did I Miss The "Twilight" Phenomenon?

It looks like James Bond will have a short stay at the top of the movie box office.

Variety reports Thursday that nearly 2,000 showings of the new film Twilight have been sold out in advance of it's debut in theatres at midnight. The trade paper reports there hasn't been advance sales like this The Dark Knight.

Author Stephenie Meyer has written this vampire story, which is the first of four books. The others are New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn. My cohort Carrie Davis is now on book three and calls it a "love story with vampires."

I guess we're talking serious hickeys.

So while I'm out of the loop on Twilight, perhaps this signals good news for young readers. The stereotype teen hangs out at the mall, plays video games that will guarantee carpal tunnel syndrome and has the attention span of a gnat.

However, there are facts that fly in the face of that slacker picture. Newsweek reported in May that young-adult fiction (ages 12-18) is enjoying a bona fide boom with sales up more than 25 percent in the past few years, according to a Children's Book Council sales survey.

The four novels have sold a reported 17 million copies and teenage girls are a big audience. How big, you ask? It was teenage girls (who are now well into their 20's and looking at 30th birthdays) that helped drive Titanic to $1,842,879,955 in worldwide box office sales (thanks boxofficemojo.com).

I noticed early this morning that Twilight had three midnight showings this evening at Hollywood 20 in Greenville. There was one midnight show for Quantum of Solace last week.

But I do have one bit of bad news about the movie. The critics don't think much of it. Rotten Tomatoes.com has just 39% of reviews recommending the movie. Some of the reviews claim:

"Those who want to see it, will see it and love it. Others are warned away." - San Francisco Examiner

"A disappointingly anemic tale of forbidden love that should satiate the pre-converted but will bewilder and underwhelm viewers who haven't devoured Stephenie Meyer's bestselling juvie chick-lit franchise." - Variety

But Entertainment Weekly says check it out - "(Director Catherine) Hardwicke stirs this teen pulp to a pleasing simmer."

Hey kids, when in doubt..stick to the books.