Kem 1 Kem Kem Caruso English 1102 July 30, 2012 The Allure of Twilight and Harry Potter

There is no doubt that The Harry Potter series and Twilight series are two of the most successful books turned into movies. Respectively, both earned much acclaim and were highly grossing films. With their popularity, authors J.K. Rowling and Stephanie Meyers have earned much acclaim. These series are so popular among youth so much so that they have been labeled a phenomenon from the record-breaking sales to the testaments from fans domestically as well as internationally. These facts lead us to wonder why these two series have received so much acclaim. Moreover, why do they appeal so much to young people? The Twilight series revolves around a clumsy, serene, and fragile girl named Bella Swan. Bella moves from sunny Arizona to the always wet town of Forks, Washington. There she meets a mysterious boy, Edward Cullen, and falls madly in love with him only to find out that he is a vampire who craves her blood. The whole series revolves around the relationship between Bella and Edward and their journey to be together. The financial success is evident since the first film in the movie series, Twilight, premiered in November 2008. Twilight grossed over $400 million at theaters and an additional $201 million from DVD sales. The series second book, New Moon also grossed over several hundred million dollars. It also earned the distinction of highest opening day total. The third installment continued to earn much acclaim and money, grossing over $600 million dollars. The final part, Breaking Dawn, earned over $700 million for just the first part. The second part will

Kem 2 be released in November 2012. On average a successful box office movie usually profits about a 200 to 300 hundred millions however as we can the profits numbers for just one Twilight movie soars past that standard. Those numbers compared to one of the most highly grossing films Those numbers are available from Variety Magazine and help illustrate just how popular the film series are. Twilights almost entirely female fan base is not surprising and has influenced the success of the franchise. Why does this story appeal so well for its masses of devoted young fans? Not to mention their equally immersed mothers? A film critic, Stephan Greydanus, argues in his blog that Meyers vampires are high schools aristocracy, the coolest kids on campus, the clique that everyone wants to get into. (Greydanus1). He sees Twilight as the 21st centurys version of the humble governess who captures the heart of the lord of the manor, accommodating to the traditional feminine fantasy of being delivered from obscurity by a dazzling, powerful man. (Greydanus1). The idea of the story written by Meyers sells in modern society because it has the ideal common theme with a modern fantastic twist. The production company Summit Entertainment keeping in mind the prominent female based fans tried to shift marketing strategies with its third film, Twilight Saga: Eclipse to attract a male audience to widen the audience gap and from a cultural point of view, the media industry doesnt confer cultural legitimacy on texts until they are embraced by men, not just women. (Jackson1). With the latest Twilight film, the marketing of Eclipse highlights a subplot of Stephenie Meyers book that is dark and violent, a ploy to draw male moviegoers. The trailer for Eclipse movie promotes the film prominently as an action movie more so than focusing on the love triangle that is established in the third book of the Twilight series, since action films are generally more appealing for male moviegoers. The Twilight franchise also keeps in mind that

Kem 3 the fans want to live in the Twilight universe, (Jackson1). In order to capitalize on another aspect of the series while providing some kind of fulfillment for the fans by providing merchandise that supports this fantasy. (Jackson1). For example, fans can purchase soundtracks from the movies and clothes and jewelry worn by the main character, Bella Swan, and other major characters in the film and books. Fans can also go on location and see props used from the films as another way to immerse in the twilight universe. The characters written by Stephanie Meyer are adored in the book series and the actors that were casted in movies bring those imaginations to life. The book is mostly through the main characters eyes Bella. She is like a vessel that carries the readers throughout the story. The reader lives vicariously through her and she is depicted as an average teenage girl a plain jane, which adds a relatable element to the female fans. An Important part in the series is the castings for actors to play the characters because not only do they bring those characters to life but also the success of the franchise has largely been built on the celebrity of the actors who play the main characters. (Jackson1). The casting choices for main characters Bella Swan are the actress Kristen Stewart and Edward Cullen is Robert Pattinson. The actor, Robert Pattinson, who plays Edward Cullen is an up and coming attractive young actor who has captured the hearts of young girls and their mothers around the world (Wilson56). The masses of female fans have another incentive to invest in the series and fans have an embodiment of the beloved characters (Jackson1). In contrast, Harry Potter is about a boy whose parents died when he was just a baby. Left to live with his cruel Uncle, Aunt, and cousin, Harry thinks he is nothing special. But on his eleventh birthday he is informed that he is wizard and sets off for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft

Kem 4 and Wizardry. Once at school he learns that he is the boy who lived (J.K Rowlings) that meaning he is the only person to have survived the killing curse by the antagonist, Lord Voldemort, in the entire world. He also divulges on a quest to defeat the most evil, powerful, and dark wizard of all time, Lord Voldemort. At the same time, he is trying to fit in at a school where everyone knows his name, and everyone knows everything about him. The financial overview of the success of Harry Potter is comparable to the Twilight series as evident in the fact that there are 325 million copies of the seven Harry Potter books in print around the world, in 65 languages. The final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, sold 8.3 million copies the first day it was on sale, a publishing record. (Hoover1). The Harry Potter franchise has accrued $21 billion for Warner Bros (Hoover1). The 1997 film Titanic, which is considered one of the top highly grossed films today, grossed 2 billion dollars and the Harry Potter series grossed an estimate of $21 billion, there are 8 movies which means 21 divided by 8 equals to about $2.65 billion per film and that is not including the profit from books as well. Also, The Harry Potter phenomenon finds its profits from a couple of different angles worldwide, from cinematic releases ($3.9 billion), DVD sales ($6.5 billion) and to merchandise sales ($7 billion). The is not a surprise looking at the staggering numbers which illustrates the success of Harry Potter thus further clarifying the notion of the series being considered a phenomenon. The novels of Harry Potter draw the readers in, transporting them to a whole new world with its descriptive and fluent writing which makes for an interesting read. JK Rowling, the author of the novels, created a place full of wonders, new languages, new creatures, and thousands of fascinating spells. The Harry Potter books are fascinating because of their twisting plot, with a great deal of subplots along the way. (Robinson1) This quote by Robinson

Kem 5 illustrates how Rowlings grabs the readers attention. Many of the earlier books contain details that may seem insignificant, but really tie into the future plots of the later books thus making her story fluid and connecting and in the end all the details lay out and completes the big picture. For example before Harry discovers he is a wizard, he has a conversation with a snake at the reptile house while readers believed this to be a normal part of being a wizard. However, in the second book, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, readers discover that Harry Potter is special among other witches and wizards because it is not common for all wizards to have the ability to talk to snakes. At the same time in the series, some details so subtle, that most readers don't recognize them, for example like the fact that the way to get into the Ministry of Magic is pressing 62442, which spells "magic" on a phone. (Robinson1). Rowlings has a knack for details either subtle or intricate enough to amaze her readers, which is another aspect that makes for acclaimed entertainment and further illustrates the success of the series. A 7th grader, who is a fan from the series, interviewed by The New York Times Jacob Kogan claims, It's not just that Harry's world is so intricately woven and strewn with perfect details. It's more than pertinent politics, universal themes and modern morals. I think we love "Harry Potter" because Harry's universe is filled with the heavy, strong and close relationships that we genetically crave, but find it quite difficult to actually participate in these days. (Kogan). Those relationships appeal to our society and our children. Rowling's divulges on a popular theme in the story not only the battle of good vs. evil but explaining the theme of friends, love and community (Kogan). The author of the books sells a story that is aspiring and relatable with an element of fantasy to its young readers. In a general sense, the vast majority of children, anybody in those pre-pubescent years, have a limited literary sensibility due to age and lack of experience. In that respect, not only

Kem 6 children and readers of the Harry Potter and Twilight franchises will flock to the pop culture mainstream pool to test the waters. That notion is evident in the overview of the success of Stephanie Meyer and J.K Rowling. Some would argue, The Twilight series is cack-handed in execution, bereft of originality, ludicrous in its plots and yet lapped up by hordes and made into box-office-breaking films. (Womack1) And that The later Harry Potter novels are overlong and have a misguided attachment to adverbs, but they fill every shelf in the country. (Womack1). These are opinions of other a writer, who offer a less than admirable perspective on the franchises, but one still cant ignore the global success the franchises has achieved. However, either with a book geared toward children or adults the author needs to make the domestic and normal come under threat (Womack1). J.K Rowling and Meyers instruments the idea of taking normal everyday life into something more interesting and enthralling and sometimes dangerous in a skillful manner. For example, Suburbia becomes haunted by spectral, cloaked Death Eaters, while London hides hidden horrors and wonders (Womack1). Meyer, in Twilight, creates the dreary towns of eastern America into places throbbing with epic battles between vampire clans. (Womack1). One could understand the concept of how children and adults can become allured on the idea of living dangerously and excitingly with the removal of protective layers. The appeal of the two franchises conveys the similar conflict between good and evil with a fantastic element. In Harry Potter, how it is patently clear that Harry is the hero, Voldemort is the villain, and the on-going struggle between them is the main focus of the plot throughout the entire series. While in Twilight, Bella Swan is the heroine and she is in a constant battle between fantastic creatures, who wants to kill her. It is appealing for adolescents looking for some quality fantastic entertainment because the simple good versus evil conflict is apparent and

Kem 7 straightforward. Not only is the clash between good and evil central to many works of literature, but it is arguably a fundamental aspect of human culture in general (Robinson1). Every conflict contains elements of good and evil because otherwise it wouldnt be considered a conflict. From religion to war to politics, everything people believe and do comes down to our concept and definition of what is good and what isnt (Robinson1). It seems based from the previous quote by Robinson that we are naturally drawn towards stories of Harry Potter and Twilight because they are a simple model of the recurrent conflict between good and evil. The Harry Potter by J.K Rowlings and Twilight by Stephanie Meyer franchises has achieved global widespread fame. These series are extremely popular with a diverse group of fans including middle-aged women, men and so much so within the general youth so much so it is considered a phenomenon. Both series contain an exciting fantastic element that conveys the theme of removing a protective layer from ones lives and a prominent solid idea of good versus evil. The series also incorporates appealing relatable themes and grounded core values in modern society such as young love, friendship, and family. They offer a new form of entertainment and developed into a new world of its own created by the authors and fans, from Harry Potters wizarding magical world to Meyers love story involving beautiful vampires in Forks, Washington. It is probable in the future, since the two franchises already has acquired huge fan bases domestically and globally, the series fame has spread like wildfire and will only acquire more fame. Either the series are highly acclaimed or ridicule, the success and fame achieved over the years from the overnight success to the record-breaking sales concludes that it is a phenomenon in our current pop culture.

Kem 8 Works Cited: "A Round Table on Harry Potter." THE NEW YORK TIMES. Ed. New York Times. THE NEW YORK TIMES, 12 Aug. 2007. Web. Greydanus, Steven D. "Twilight Appeal: The Cult of Edward Cullen and Vampire Love in Stephenie Meyers Novels and the New Film." Twilight Appeal: The Cult of Edward Cullen and Vampire Love. Web. July 2012. Hoover, Bob. "Harry Potter a Classic? Successful? No Doubt." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 July 2012. <http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/ae/books/harry-potter-aclassic-successful-no-doubt-493393/>. Jackson, Kelsey. "News Bureau." MU. Web. 31 July 2012. Pearson, Amanda. "Behind the Twilight Phenomenon." - Social Media in PR. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 July 2012. Robinson, Lizzy. "Why Is Harry Potter So Popular?" : The Academy Road. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 July 2012. <http://www.theacademyroad.com/artsharry-potter-so-popular/>.

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Wilson, Natalie. Seduced By Twilight: The Allure And Contradictory Messages Of The Popular Saga. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2011. MLA International Bibliography. Web. 13 July 2012. Womach, Phillip. "Twilight Saga: How to Write a Children's Best-seller." The Telegraph. N.p., 24 June 2010. Web. Thompson, Anne. Twilight moves into Potters Place. Variety. 8 August 2008. Web. DAlessandro. New Moon takes opening day record. Variety. 21 November 2009. Web.