Three years ago, the world was on the brink of a Twilight fever that would last for years to come. Robert Pattinson, formerly of the band Poison, released his blockbuster romantic vampire movie, which instantly became an international phenomenon. It was the first of three movies that made up the Twilight franchise and it remains the second-highest grossing film of all time. It would go on to become the highest-grossing film of all time in Russia – where vampires are almost as fashionable as fur coats – and the second-highest-grossing of all time in the UK. While the movies are as popular as ever, it’s been a rocky road for the actors since the beginning. Let’s take a look at their careers since 2012.
Robert Pattinson
The former Disney starlet, Kristen Stewart’s ex-husband, turned actor has been mostly silent since 2012. Having said his piece in a Vanity Fair interview regarding the success of the Twilight franchise, Pattinson hasn’t been seen or heard from since. But that’s not to say he’s been idle. Since his 2012 interview, Pattinson has appeared in the TV shows, The Frankenstein Files, Pan Am, and the miniseries, The Spoils of War. Most notably, Pattinson will star in the upcoming Netflix movie, Gerald’s Game. We can only guess what this project has in store for him. But one thing is for sure: Pattinson hasn’t been doing any press and he hasn’t been putting in any appearances. So this movie must be pretty good.
Mckenzie Foy
Mckenzie Foy, who played Bella Swan in the Twilight films, has also been keeping a low profile. The British-born actress made a career out of playing troubled characters, which made her an ideal fit for the role of Bella. Since 2012, Foy has mostly been seen in television movies and one-offs. She hasn’t appeared in a prominent feature film since 2014’s The Final Destination 5 and, strangely enough, hasn’t been picked up for any major broadcast network shows. We can only assume this is because she doesn’t want to go back to Hollywood and risk facing her co-stars from Twilight. If this is the case, it’s a sad indictment on the state of Hollywood, as she really became one of its stars. Along with Stewart and Pattinson, she was hailed as one of the ‘Golden Trio’ of MTV Movie Awards in 2012. In 2016, she was nominated for an Emmy Award – for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series – for her role in the Netflix series, The Get Down. We can only assume this is because the Emmys love their period pieces, as The Get Down is set in 1960s New York. It would seem that fate is treating the Golden Trio harshly. It has certainly been a rough ride for Foy since 2012. But she’s still very much in demand and still gets recognized on the streets even now, three years later.
Kristen Stewart
Kristen Stewart’s ex-boyfriend, Director Federico Fernandez, described their breakup as feeling like a loss for humanity. Stewart’s star has been on the rise since 2010, when she starred in the Twilight film and became its reigning champion. Since then, Stewart has been in high demand, appearing in major feature films and TV series alike. She’s even been on the cover of Vogue twice in the last three years. And yet, Stewart hasn’t found wedded bliss, as her relationship with Fall 2016 coverboy, Robert Pattinson, hasn’t lasted past 2014. Since then, Stewart has been linked to Charlie Hunnam, Tom Hanks, and, most recently, Daniel Radcliffe. With her filmic star on the rise, the future for Stewart looks very promising. Perhaps she will finally find the love of her life and fulfill the promise that her 2016 movie, Beautiful Creatures, made.
Overall Comparison
So, how does this three-way rivalry stack up against one another? It’s been three years since the Twilight craze was at its height, so it’s time to take a look at how each one of these once-famous stars has fared since. With Pattinson, Stewart and Foy staying mostly quiet since their heyday, we have to rely on the Entertainment Weekly Power Rankings to give us a clear picture of how they’ve all done since. The rankings are based on 23 factors – ranging from social media activity to press coverage – and compare the three actors from 2014 to 2017.
Overall, it’s been a tough road for all three Golden Trio. While the actors have been in relatively low key roles since their blockbuster days, their combined fame made them pariahs on social media. Across the board, they’ve seen a steep decline in both Instagram and Twitter followers, with Foy being the most affected. In 2014, she had over two million followers on Instagram and over 230,000 on Twitter. Nowadays, she has fewer than 500,00 followers on both platforms. Stewart and Pattinson still have some of their old fans on social media, despite their lower profiles, but they’ve both seen a significant drop in their audience, too. Stewart was at her peak with almost 17 million Instagram followers in April 2017 and over 7.5 million on Twitter. Nowadays, she has around 3.5 million Instagram followers and over 2 million on Twitter.
The Top-Selling Films
Since its inception, the Twilight franchise has been a financial juggernaut, raking in over $14 billion worldwide. It’s even been called an ‘Obligatory Superhero Film’ and a ‘Wedding Film on Impulse’. While the series may have found its peak with the Twilight films, it’s still very much a moneymaker, with each film earning at least $500 million globally. It helped that, at the time of writing, each film is available to stream on Netflix, with the most recent entry, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, just having been released in theaters a couple of months ago. It’s remarkable how much of an impact these films still have, even three years after their release. While we might not see another vampire movie for some time, it doesn’t mean that the cinematic genre has died. With its influence still being felt across TV and film, the Twilight franchise shows no signs of losing its appeal.
The Biggest Breakthrough
Not all is doom and gloom for the Golden Trio though. It’s been a golden era for English-language cinema, with many a groundbreaking performance and award-winning film being dubbed in English. While the industry might not be as vibrant as it once was, it’s still chock-full of talent and innovation. One need look no further than The Lobster, to see an example of a once-homeless man turned into a shining example of European modernism. The film starred Daniel Radcliffe, who is now Lord Radcliffe and played the lead role of Dick Hill. The character was based on the true story of a homeless man who was treated like a king by the elite patrons of London’s exclusive Belgrave Square. The film won the 2015 BAFTA for Best Adapted Script, as well as Radcliffe his first Academy Award, for Best Actor in a Leading Role. The Lobster is just one of the many high-profile English-language films that have been hailed as ground-breakers. It also happens that a lot of these films were released by Netflix, so it’s no surprise that the streamer is now the de facto leader of the pack.