It’s fair to say that Twilight hasn’t been the greatest thing for the pocketbook of everyone involved. With the franchise now in its fourth decade, the world’s biggest bestselling vampire franchise still hasn’t gone away, and instead, it’s grown. Bigger. And more profitable. Which might explain why Rob Pattinson, who plays Edward Cullen in the movies, has never really been one to shy away from a bit of self-reflection. In fact, the Hollywood actor has spoken out about his own struggles with fame and fortune, and admitted that he’s not exactly the happiest person on the planet. “I don’t know if I’ve ever been happier than I am right now,” he said in an interview with GQ magazine. “I’ve never felt more relaxed or free. But at the same time, I don’t feel like I’m wasting my time. I’m so used to working hard that it doesn’t feel like work.”
It seems like a fair trade, then. As long as you’re having fun, it doesn’t matter whether or not you’re making money. Or am I missing something?
Well, there’s a bit more to it than that. For starters, let’s consider one of the major financial struggles that Pattinson has spoken about. Back in 2015, he revealed that he almost went broke after his third Twilight film, Eclipse, underperformed at the box office. The actor admitted that he had to put his house up for sale and move into a smaller, less luxurious home. “It was devastating,” he said. “I lost a huge amount of money. I had to take out a huge loan and sell all my possessions. It was horrible.”
As it turns out, Eclipse was barely a hit at the box office, taking in only $27 million worldwide on a $100 million budget. That’s less than the $29.7 million grossed by the underwhelming The Twilight Saga: New Moon and less than the $35.9 million earned by the abysmal The Twilight Saga: Twilight. So in total, the box office haul for the three-film saga was just $125.5 million, which is a bit more than the $115.8 million made by the entire Hunger Games series over its four-film run. (And just to put that into perspective, that’s only three times the budget of Eclipse.)
The fact that Twilight is this profitable might indicate that there’s a market for these kinds of films, or at least a niche. After all, Vampires are a fairly uncommon breed these days, so there’s definitely going to be a demand for these movies. The fact that they keep getting made proves that there’s still a market for vampires, as well. The films may not be as innovative or creative as they were back in the day when vampires first arrived on the big screen in 1981, but there’s still something about them that resonates with audiences.
When it comes to vampires and their never-ending lives, the mythos has never been stronger. Countless films and television series have featured vampires over the years (both good and bad), and as a result, Rob Pattinson has had to deal with a whole plethora of bizarre interviews and magazine spreads. This is something that he’s clearly not willing to do any longer. It seems like the actor has found contentment within his work, which is the most important thing. And who knows – maybe, just maybe, the success of Pattinson’s band Sour Wax will see them on tour again, playing live shows and making new fans.