Howling Debut For 'Twilight' Takes Bite Out Of Bond

By Bill Wine

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - No whimper for The Twilight Saga: it's going out with a box-office bang.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2, the fifth and final installment in the wildly popular series of supernatural vampire fantasies, lifted off to a runaway first-place finish by earning an estimated $141 million in its weekend debut, slightly more than the opening take of its predecessor, Part 1.

That dropped last weekend's leader, Skyfall, into second place despite another robust showing, as it took in another $42 million.

The debuting Steven Spielberg biodrama, Lincoln, starring Daniel Day-Lewis as our 16th president, took third place with a respectable total of $21 million, while the holdover animated attraction, Wreck-It Ralph, placed fourth with $18-million.

Overall, it was a strong ticket-selling weekend, with industry totals well ahead of last year's pace.