The Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn – Part 2: Brand Ambition Beat Down
Unless you’ve been studiously averting your eyes and ears from the modern world as we know it, you will be aware that The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 2 is preparing to land in multiplexes around the world in just 26 days.
In other words, we’re at DEFCON 2. Not quite a full meltdown, but almost.
With fan anticipation peaking and many predicting that director Bill Condon’s finale could eclipse the previous 4 installments at the box office, Summit is ramping up for what it’s calling the “motion picture event of the decade.”
If that sounds like fighting talk, that’s because it is. A bona fide pop culture phenomenon is coming to an end, and it looks like the studio intends to throw the mother of all wrap parties for its $ 2.5 billion franchise.
As you might expect all sorts of good stuff is either being released or announced. Just arrived are two TV spots and a featurette packed with behind the scenes gems. These include: a newly vamped Bella and husband Edward — Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson — their half human-half vampire daughter Renesmee (Mackenzie Foy), spanking new vampire characters and a return of the regular players.
In the clip Condon says: “You’ve been watching four movies where you see vampires from the outside, and now you get to experience what it’s like to see the world visually as a vampire might.”
Cue aerial shots of Stewart flexing her new powers and Pattinson in full-on protective father mode, plus soundbites from Ashley Greene (Alice), Michael Sheen (Aro), Jackson Rathbone (Jasper) and Peter Facinelli (Carlise).
At one point, Stewart reveals how she feels connected to the franchise that made her a superstar:
“They watch the movies for the same reason that I make the movies, because I know what it’s like to love something so much.”
Likewise, Pattinson said of the saga’s appeal: “It gets a very visceral reaction out of people.”
Below is the first television spot. Aptly called “Four Years”, it’s basically a nostalgic look back through the series’ 4 year run.
Nutshelled: Part 2’s plot sees Bella reunited with Edward and daughter Renesmee. Their happiness is shortlived however when the Volturi — mistakenly believing a false rumor that Renesmee is an “Immortal Child” (i.e bitten) — decide the child must be destroyed. Desperately, the couple rally vampires from around the world to go head to head with the Volturi in an epic battle.
On the same day that the first TV spot was released, a second — “Epic Finale” — was also rolled out. Reaffirming the this-is-really-it-and-this-is-totally-epic tagline one more time, Summit’s commitment to remaining on-message is predictably but reassuringly old school.
Adding to the building excitement for the global press tour are the recently confirmed publicity dates for Pattinson, Stewart and Taylor Lautner. In fact, Pattinson has already touched down in Sydney ahead of a fan event on Monday, October 22.
Lautner will be in Brazil from October 22-24 for a fan meet and greet, while Stewart hits Tokyo on October 24. And in addition to an early November press junket, Pattinson will guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live on November 5 then Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on November 8. Pattinson and Lautner will also appear on a November 9 airing of Ellen.
Throw in the premieres: November 12 at the Nokia Theatre L.A, London’s Leicester Square on November 14, Madrid on November 15 and Berlin on November 16, and no-one should be in any doubt that this is going to be one helluva opening weekend.
The jewel in The Twilight Saga crown? Pattinson and Stewart, of course. The privacy v PR photo stunt debate aside, the real-life relationship of this couple continues to fascinate, capitalize and be capitalized on by all those invested in the success of this franchise. C’est la vie.
Breaking Dawn – Part 2 debuts in theaters November 16. Brand ambition, about 4 years earlier.
