‘Twilight’ eclipses ‘Iron Man 2′ with record theater count of 4,416 for debut

‘Twilight’ eclipses records with widest debut ever

LOS ANGELES — The latest “Twilight” movie already has one record under its belt as it opens with the widest domestic release in box-office history.

“The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” was booked in a record 4,416 theaters for its debut Wednesday. That beats the previous record of 4,380 theaters set less than two months ago by “Iron Man 2.”

Along with midnight screenings, some theaters are scheduling showings at 3 a.m. to meet demand as fans line up for the movie.

The second installment in the vampire-romance franchise, last November’s “The Twilight Saga: New Moon,” leads the box-office charts for best opening day with $72.7 million. The movie’s opening weekend of $142.8 million is No. 3 on the all-time chart.