Twilight Snags Wed. Debut Record: $68.5M

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse has broken another box-office record. The latest chapter in the vampire adventure took in $68.5 million in its first day, the best ever for a movie opening on a Wednesday. Eclipse surpassed the previous Wednesday record of $62 million set last year by Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

But the movie fell short of the all-time best opening day, a record held by its predecessor, last November's The Twilight Saga: New Moon, which pulled in $72.7 million. New Moon opened on a Friday, typically a busier day at theaters than weekdays. Eclipse opened in a record 4,416 theaters and expands to 4,468 cinemas tomorrow for the Fourth of July weekend, one of the biggest box-office weekends of the year. (More The Twilight Saga: Eclipse stories.)