E1 Entertainment shatters records with New Moon in Canada and the UK

Number One weekend film makes box office history with record breaking opening day

LONDON and TORONTO , Nov. 23 /CNW/ - E1 Entertainment ("E1" ), the leading international independent entertainment content owner and distributor, is pleased to announce the record breaking opening weekend of its UK and Canadian release, The Twilight Saga: New Moon ("New Moon"), the widely anticipated sequel to the 2008 box office hit Twilight.

In the UK New Moon achieved the second highest opening day box office receipts of all time, with weekend ticket sales estimated at (pnds stlg)11,750,000. It also recorded the fourth highest gross for a film in its first three days in UK theaters. In addition, New Moon now holds the all time UK box office opening weekend record for a US produced film. The film continues to play on 1100 screens at 499 locations across the UK and Ireland .

In Canada , where New Moon opened on 685 screens at 372 locations - a record number of screens for a Canadian theatrical release - three-day ticket sales were estimated at C$11,200,000, marking the second largest opening weekend for a theatrical release in Canadian history.

On Friday, New Moon became the highest grossing North American theatrical debut of all time. Last week also saw the film break the Canadian and UK records for advance ticket sales and midnight screenings.

"The series continues to delight audiences, breaking multiple records. With such incredible box office numbers the devotion of The Twilight Saga's fan base is very much evident," said Patrice Theroux , President, Filmed Entertainment at E1 Entertainment. "It is rare for a film to touch so many filmgoers across all ages; this is a true cultural phenomenon. E1 is proud to be the UK and Canadian partner of producer Summit Entertainment in the release of this incredibly successful series of films."

Based on Stephenie Meyer's best-selling novels, The Twilight Saga: New Moon stars Robert Pattinson , Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner , and features director Chris Weitz working with Melissa Rosenberg's screenplay. The film is distributed by E1 Entertainment in Canada and the UK, from licensor and producer Summit Entertainment. E1 Entertainment owns all rights to the film in the UK and Canada .

The third installment in the series, Eclipse, will be released in theaters in Canada and the UK next summer. E1 Entertainment owns all rights to Eclipse in both territories.

About E1 Entertainment

E1 Entertainment (AIM: ETO) is a leading independent entertainment content owner that acquires film, television and music rights and exploits these rights in all media in more than 190 countries. The company currently operates in Canada , the U.S., the UK, Holland and Belgium through its four primary businesses units: E1 Television, E1 Films, E1 Music and E1 Distribution. These businesses collectively represent E1's extensive expertise in film distribution, television and music production/distribution, Kids content, Licensing and Distribution. E1's content library includes more than 3,700 feature films, 2,700 hours of original television programming and 15,000 music tracks.

For further information: Theresa Roberts, Head of Publicity, E1 Entertainment UK, 011-0207-907-3523, [email protected]; Holly Cybulski, Director, Publicity & Communications, E1 Entertainment Canada, [phone], [email protected]; Charlene Coy, Theatrical Publicist, E1 Entertainment Canada, [phone], [email protected]; Thomas Sargent, Edelman for E1 Entertainment Canada, [phone], [email protected]