Is ‘Twilight’ running out of breath?

In+this+publicity+photo+released+by+Summit+Entertainment%2C+James%0A%28Cam+Gigandet%29+has+a+stranglehold+on+Edward+%28Robert+Pattinson%29+in%0ATwilight.+Breaking+Dawn+Part+1%2C+the+fourth+film+of+the+Twilight%0Asaga%2C+comes+out+Nov.+18.%0A

In this publicity photo released by Summit Entertainment, James (Cam Gigandet) has a stranglehold on Edward (Robert Pattinson) in Twilight. Breaking Dawn Part 1, the fourth film of the Twilight saga, comes out Nov. 18.

By Melissa McKenna

It’s been four years since the first movie of Twilight and all its mania, but the question that remains is: Has the Twilight phenomena settled down and has its peak years passed?

The past three movies, Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse, have surpassed one another in overall grossing. Twilight earned an estimated $192,769,854 in the box office while New Moon earned $296,623,634, and Eclipse triumphantly came out with the highest gross of $300,531,751. Clearly, the teen girls and moms are still going back for more.

When Twilight first debuted, vampires and the supernatural were quickly turned into a popular and trendy fad. Vampire television shows and books upon books filled with vampire-themed romances were all the rage. Strangely, blood and the undead became hotter than ever.

“While there has been a lull in the Twilight fandemonium, so to say, it is ever present,” freshman art major Tiana Soloman said. “It will rear its head back up when the first part of Breaking Dawn comes out. There is already evidence of this in the promos, ads and magazine articles published.”

Unlike Soloman, not everyone agrees with this notion of Twilight staying on top.

“People are starting to realize that it’s not good enough to be a real vampire story,” Sophomore Francesca Zomkowski said. “People aren’t obsessing over it because there’s so many new supernatural teen romance novels now. There’s even a section in the bookstore for it. It’s disgusting.”

This notion is seconded by freshman nursing majors Stephanie Rhine and Kelly Beck.

“I think it’s dwindling down because people made too big a deal out of vampires,” Rhine said. “When it first came out, it was like vampire overkill. Stuff like True Blood and Vampire Diaries – it was way too much. I like Twilight, but I like Harry Potter more. It will never be Potter status.”

Beck agreed.

“When Twilight first came out, all I heard people talking about was vampires,” Beck said. “Now, I never hear people talking about them. I mean, the movies are still popular, and I know people are going to see them just because they saw the other three, but it’s not going to be nearly as crazy as the earlier movies.”

There is no question that the Twilight saga movies are still grossing. Summit Entertainment expects to rake in $1.2 billion off of the movie alone. If you’re a teen girl who’s seen the other three, it’s almost an obligation to see Breaking Dawn. It may be a chore, but it’s time to take one for the team and finish what you’ve started. As for the few cult Twilight fans that remain, may your midnight showing be filled with multiple games of Twilight trivia and hours ogling over Robert Pattinson’s perfectly sculpted hair.