“The Twilight Saga: New Moon” scored the third-biggest opening weekend movie of all time at the North American box office on Sunday, as millions of Twihards came in hordes at theaters around the world to witness the continuation of Edward Cullen and Bella Swan’s love story.

Twilight distributor Summit Entertainment said, New Moon earned an estimated $140.7 million during its first three days of release across the United States and Canada, crushing industry expectations. The closely held studio said “New Moon” also earned $118.1 million from 25 foreign markets. Data from individual countries were not immediately available.

The record for an opening is $158 million, set last year by the Batman sequel “The Dark Knight.” The 2007 movie “Spider-Man 3″ follows with $151 million. “New Moon” replaced “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” ($136 million) at No. 3.

New Moon is already on its way to top the first film of the series “Twilight,” which was released exactly a year ago and earned $193 million.

Photos by Wenn.com