16 years ago on November 21st, 2008, the first installment of what would be one of the most influential movie sagas was released. Twilight was a worldwide phenomenon, making 69.6 million dollars on opening weekend. Whether you were a teenager in high school, or a full-grown adult, everyone was lining up to see this movie and establishing themselves as either team Edward or team Jacob. Over 10 years later, it’s kept its title of one of the most influential teen romance movies ever made.
When the movie was initially released, there was a lot of craze about it, but it was also heavily made fun of (mostly by men who were too afraid to admit they enjoyed the movie). This even went as far as being mocked on TV shows such as The Simpsons, Family Guy, and South Park. Many years later, people still poke fun at the awkward interactions between characters such as the infamous “Hold on tight spider monkey” and “Bella, where the hell have you been loca?” scenes. Although the acting may be awkward at some (most) moments, the saga was able to round up a total of 113 awards by the time the final movie was released.
Viewers may have made fun of the cast’s questionable acting, but Twilight launched most of the actors into the public eye. Prior to the release of the first movie, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner had only played in a few children’s movies, while Robert Pattinson was known in the Harry Potter fandom for his character Cedric Diggory. Their lives quickly took a full 360, making it difficult for them to even step foot in public. In an interview with Conan O’Brian, Kristen Stewart was asked about how she goes out in public she replies, “It kind of varies, I’ve been in London for a while, and I find it very different in LA, New York, and London…. In New York they’re like ‘Don’t flatter yourself honey I was not looking at you’.” Following the release of the final installment of the saga, Kristen Stewart went on to play in movies including Charlie’s Angels (2019), Dear Alice (2014), and Seberg (2019) while Taylor Lautner, found success in TV shows such as, Cuckoo (2012) and Scream Queens (2015). Robert Pattinson later played the lead in both Good Time (2017) and The Batman (2022): both wildly successful films.
Twilight also caused a huge surge in vampire themed literature, TV shows, and movies. The TV show The Vampire Diaries, was released in response to Twilight in 2009 and gained popularity quickly with the first season averaging 3.6 million viewers. Fifty Shades of Grey (2015) is another example of a massively popular movie that was actually inspired by Twilight Fanfiction, though this movie was more popular for adults than teenagers.
Even kids born after the initial craze have heard of Twilight through TikTok, where people post outfits inspired by Bella Swan, make edits of the characters, and post awkward acting clips. Twilight has certainly left its mark on pop culture and continues to remain a teen romance classic.
