Utah fans flock to 'The Twilight Saga: Eclipse'

SANDY — Vampires and werewolves joined more than 15,000 eager fans for the midnight opening Tuesday of "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" at Jordan Commons Megaplex Theater.

To celebrate the release of the third installment in the Twilight series, the theater hosted "Twi-fest at the Megaplex," featuring a red carpet dotted with Edward and Jacob look-alikes who, despite being archenemies in the saga, played nice as they posed with squealing Twi-hards.

The event also included a bridal showcase and prize giveaways — one lucky winner walked away with an exact replica of protaganist Bella's 14-karat-gold engagement ring, designed by Infinite Jewelry Co., LLC.

President Shelli Ashton said the company's Bella ring is the only version authorized by Twilight author and BYU grad Stephenie Meyer and designed to look exactly like the one Bella sports on screen.

"I loved the books and wanted something tangible to connect me to the books," Ashton said, "but I didn't want it to be what I envisioned, I wanted it to be true to what (Meyer) thought."

Made in both a diamond and cubic zirconium model, Ashton said sales of the ring have exploded as couples plan their dream nuptials around Bella and Edward's romantic proposal.

"We've had men order it and say, 'This has to be exactly right because I'm proposing just like Edward did,' " Ashton said.

Megaplex representative Jeff Whipple said the theater has put major planning into the "Twi-fest" to keep up with audience demand.

"We started planning after the last one ended," Whipple said. "The credits weren't even off the screen before we started making plans for the next event. In fact, the next film comes out November 2011, or 506 days, from now, and we already have a waiting list building."

Whipple said Utah's Twilight mania is manifested through box office sales and expects "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" to be a huge moneymaker for the theaters.

"Because of the Utah ties to Twilight and the local fan base, this will very likely be the biggest film for us this year," Whipple said.

West Valley resident Cali Wilson had her tickets for two months and said she spent hours applying white face paint and sparkles to create a glittering vampire effect before hitting the premiere with her mom, Kathy.

"I like the unrequited love," Wilson said, "and this is my favorite book, so I'm excited."