A Robert Pattinson Movie Is Taking Over On Netflix
A Robert Pattinson movie is topping the charts on Netflix.
This article is more than 2 years old
We all know that Robert Pattinson will be the next Batman. While fans continue to have a mixed reaction to this casting, one thing many can agree on is that he makes for a fine, glittery vampire. So fine, that the movie that started it all is climbing the Netflix chart and sits at the coveted #1 slot in the U.S.
Twilight stars Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen, a youthful-looking 108-year-old vampire who finds himself in high school and falling for the new girl and non-vampire, Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart).
Bella comes to the small town of Forks, Washington after being sent there by her mother to live with her father Charlie (Billy Burke), who is the town’s police chief.
Upon her arrival in Forks, Bella is reunited with a childhood friend, Jacob Black. He and his family live on the Quileute Indian Reservation near town. At her new high school, Bella doesn’t have difficulty making friends, except for one – Edward. He is at once aloof and wishes to have nothing to do with Bella.
One day, after a week’s absence from school, Edward returns apparently more at ease with Bella. One day, Bella is almost struck by a van in the school parking lot but Edward rushes to her aid, covering the thirty feet in the blink of an eye and stopping the van with his hand right before it strikes Bella.
Edward refuses to explain his heroic actions. Jacob then tells Bella of the animosity between the Cullen’s and the Quileute’s.
Bella can’t stop thinking about Edward so begins to do some intense research. She comes to the conclusion that his mysterious powers are that of a vampire, which he eventually confirms. The two get closer, falling for each other.
It’s a pairing that doesn’t sit well with some in Edward’s family. Making matters worse is the fact that three nomadic vampires enter the mix. James, Victoria, and Laurent arrive, immediately causing terror in Forks. James is a tracker vampire and is immediately intrigued by Bella’s scent. He wants to hunt her for sport.
Of course, Edward is not going to allow that to happen. But Edward is going to need the help of his Cullen siblings to win this battle. Are they willing to help Edward save the life of a non-vampire?
Twilight, as with the other movies in the franchise, is based on the novel by Stephenie Meyer. The story was adapted by scribe Melissa Rosenberg and brought to the screen by director Catherine Hardwicke. On a $37 million budget, Hardwicke brought home $407 million at the box office as well as a legion of fans who would follow Edward and Bella for another four films. Hardwicke would not return to the franchise but Rosenberg would end up writing the script for each movie in the series.
If you take a closer look at Robert Pattinson’s film career, other than a few instances, not much truly jumps to the forefront. He’s had wild success with the Twilight franchise (at $3.3 billion), which has kept him on the map and though he hasn’t starred in any more blockbusters, many of his movies have been critical hits.
Robert Pattinson’s career began on the big screen when he played Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Three years later he would start his own franchise with Twilight.
While Twilight was defining Pattinson at the box office, he didn’t want to only be known as Edward Cullen. Pattinson made a point to step away from Twilight by tackling smaller roles. He starred in indie movies like Remember Me, Water for Elephants, Bel Ami, Cosmopolis, Queen of the Desert, and The Lost City of Z.
Another movie that gained a lot of critical fanfare was Robert Eggers’s psychological black-and-white horror film, The Lighthouse. Pattinson starred opposite Willem Dafoe with both actors delivering powerhouse performances.
Robert Pattinson returned to the big-budget, blockbuster movie in Christopher Nolan’s Tenet, opposite John David Washington. The film suffered from its release curing the COVID pandemic as well as a script and final product that left many scratching their collective heads.
Tenet is Nolan’s most expensive film to date with its bloated $200 million price tag. Add to that the marketing campaign that cost producers a hefty sum and the final outlay for Tenet came to $300-350 million. To make it to the break-even point, it was estimated that Tenet would have to bring in roughly $400-500 million, a figure they have not come close to.
Tenet is not Twilight. Twilight’s appeal is more mainstream and box office numbers bear this out. While Twilight was a massive hit with audiences across the globe, it was not a critical hit, sitting at an unimpressive 49% favorable rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
While we wait for the much-anticipated release of Matt Reeves’ The Batman (due out on March 4, 2022) you can go check out a glittery Robert Pattinson as he plays vampire Edward Cullen in the smash hit Twilight, now dominating on Netflix.
