As the clock neared midnight on Thursday, College sophomore Raliegh Davis grabbed her friends and ran toward the Bridge Cinema de Lux to watch Edward Cullen on the big screen.
Like many Penn girls (and some boys), Davis has been bitten by Twilight - the recently-released film adaptation of Stephenie Meyer's bestselling teen fiction series.
Twilight details the unconventional romance between "vegetarian" vampire Edward (Robert Pattinson) and Bella (Kristen Stewart), the new girl in town.
The Twilight phenomenon first gained traction this summer, as the release of the fourth book in Meyer's series converged with increasing buzz surrounding the upcoming movie adaptation.
"My best friend from home was a big fan of [the series] and she made me go to the book release party for the fourth book," said College sophomore Anita Deshpande.
After reading the first installment in the modern fantasty series, she was hooked.
Davis experienced a similar introduction to the series, though hers was a little later than Deshpande's.
"My campers this summer were obsessed with it," Davis admitted, "but I refused to read it until I came to school."
As the release date drew closer, the excitement around Twilight began to build, both on campus and around the world.
MTV.com offered weekly film updates in its "Twilight Tuesdays" blog, the film's stars were featured in editorials and magazine covers and the Internet seemed to explode at every new Twilight-related rumor.
Although critical reception for Twilight has been mixed -- most agree something does not work in the movie, but few can agree what -- lukewarm reviews are unlikely to harm the film, which had a $70 million opening.
Students, too, feel compelled to watch what many have deemed "cheesy" -if only because of their devotion to the world Meyer has created.
And Pattinson - who drew crowds of swooning fans at King of Prussia Mall earlier this month at an autograph signing - doesn't hurt either.
Pattinson aside, those who haven't read the series may not find the Twilight movie as dazzling as its leading man.
"You definitely need to read the books to know what was going on," said Deshpande. "If you have . it's really enjoyable."
Nursing sophomore Sophia Mooney agreed.
"I feel like if I hadn't read the book it wouldn't have had an impact on me at all," she said.
Like many, Mooney found the movie "ridiculous," and found herself laughing at points she thought were most likely intended to be serious.
But despite those moments, she can't get the film out of her head.
"It's a love story," she said. "Everyone loves love stories."
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