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'Twilight' turns 10: How Bella and Edward's girl-meets-vampire love story changed Hollywood

"Twilight" was more than a teen romance between a human (Kristen Stewart) and a vampire (Robert Pattinson).

Kristen Stewart (as Bella Swan) and Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen) went from unknown actors to international superstars with "Twilight."

Based on Stephenie Meyer's young-adult novel and starring a then-unknown cast, the supernatural love story roared to a stunning $70 million weekend box-office debut when it swooped into theaters 10 years ago, on Nov. 21, 2008. For the first time, Hollywood saw that a burgeoning film franchise led by a young woman could pull in female moviegoers.

Told through the eyes of high-schooler Bella Swan (Stewart), "Twilight" would go on to anchor four additional blockbusters and rake in $3.4 billion in worldwide box office. 

"There had been film successes with women at the story's heart, but the industry never built on these successes. 'Twilight' brought a female-voiced franchise into the international sphere," says Melissa Silverstein, founder and publisher of the Women and Hollywood website, which advocates for gender parity across the entertainment industry. "Ten years later, we’re seeing that women can lead these. 'Twilight' was the beginning of it."

The film's success caught many by surprise. But not Summit Entertainment, which had snapped up the rights to Meyer's books, or director Catherine Hardwicke, who pounced on the project after falling for the hot young love story.

"Stephenie Meyer did such a fantastic job capturing what it feels like to be madly, crazy stupid in love – the biggest crush you could have," Hardwicke says. "Capturing that feeling on a movie screen was an insane challenge for a filmmaker."

More:Bella Swan's 'Twilight' house goes on the market for $349,900

Also:The 5 best Kristen Stewart films, ranked (including 'Lizzie' but not 'Twilight')

With only a $37 million production budget, Hardwicke couldn't afford to fly British actor Pattinson (Cedric Diggory in "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire") to Los Angeles for an audition to test his chemistry with Stewart. Pattinson, who was so strapped at the time that he was sleeping on his agent's couch, had to pay his own way.

"We didn't have that kind of money. We had no idea this was going to be a blockbuster," Hardwicke says.

Naturally, Pattinson sizzled in the auditions with Stewart, who told Hardwicke afterward, "It has to be Rob." (The two would become an internationally famed couple in real life with their own one-word nickame, Robsten).

Woman power: "Twilight" director Catherine Hardwicke, star Kristen Stewart and author Stephenie Meyer on the set. "Stephenie Meyer did such a fantastic job capturing what it feels like to be madly, crazy stupid in love," Hardwicke says.

Hardwicke could see the fan love about to explode. She recalls watching Meyer reading passages from her then-upcoming fourth book, "Breaking Dawn," earlier in the year.

"She said the word 'Edward' and 1,000 fans in this bookstore courtyard started screaming," Hardwicke says. "I thought: 'Wow, they are screaming over a name. Wait till they see the amazing guy we are going to have play Edward.' "

With Meyer  supporting the project, interacting with her fans online and releasing "Breaking Dawn" that August, "a perfect storm" built up around the film. Comic-Con 2008 rocked with the previously unseen sight of young female fans screaming at the "Twilight" panel. 

Hardwicke was blown away to see thousands of fans waiting outside the Hollywood premiere. "I had a camera to my face filming and people still recognized me, they were yelling 'Catherine!' " Hardwicke says. "I'm not even an actor." 

Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner react as they greet fans during a 2009 event to promote "Twilight" in Tokyo.

After the success of the first movie, budgets were bolstered to ensure international domination (and even male fan support): "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" took in $709 million worldwide against a $50 million budget in 2009.

A string of female-led franchises followed, based on young-adult books such as "The Hunger Games" and "Divergent."

This paved the way for comic-book series such as "Wonder Woman" and the upcoming "Captain Marvel" (in theaters March 8, 2019), says Matt Atchity, general manager of movie listings service Moviefone.  

"That's the long shadow 'Twilight' casts after 10 years. It’s this series that got the younger female demographic going to movies," he says. "Producers aren't ignoring them anymore."

 

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