The Twilight Saga: New Moon draw an astonishing $140.7 million in ticket sales in its opening weekend in North American theaters.

The Twilight sequel, starring Robert Pattinson and Kirsten Stewart ranks as the third biggest opening on record. The first spot is for Warner Bros.' The Dark Knight which sold $158.4 million in 2008, and Sony Pictures' Spider Man 3 which sold $151.1 million in 2007.

The figures for New Moon are even more remarkable considering that it was made with a budget of $50 million while The Dark Knight was made with about $185 million.

The movie also broke a new record for midnight screenings, earning $26.3 million in ticket sales on its debut day.

Sony Moon