Hollywood 's "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" could take a nearly $100 million bite from movie theater box offices when it debuts this weekend. "New Moon," which debuts in the United States and Canada on Friday, is independent studio Summit Entertainment's sequel to last year's "Twilight," which surpassed expectations by making $69.6 million in its first weekend.

Jeff Bock, box office analyst with tracking firm Exhibitor Relations Co Inc, also believes the film could make nearly $100 million, and a source close to Summit said it could rake in nearly $85 million.

The film is slated to debut in 4,024 theaters in the U.S. and Canada, which is not a record but is far more than the roughly 3,500 theaters in which major releases normally open.





If "New Moon" reaches the $100 million mark, it will approach the record $102 million for "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," which debuted in November 2005 and sits atop the charts as the biggest opening weekends outside Hollywood's blockbuster-heavy summer season of May to August.