Vampires bring $7 bil to Hollywood economy

Hollywood has repeatedly peddled the apocalyptic threat from aliens, machines, comets, viruses and zombies, but who was watching the vampires?

Never exactly absent from the entertainment scene, those eternal bloodsuckers lately have infiltrated everything from big screens and little screens to book-store shelves, clothing racks, download services, video games and video, record and jewellery stores.

These charming, deadly immortals are everywhere. And as a result, they're spilling as much green as red -- about $7 billion since the "Twilight" film franchise bowed less than two years ago, according to THR estimates.

Let's start with the current king. Globally, the three "Twilight" films, released in 2008, 2009 and 2010, have a $1.76 billion cume at the global box office. The first two each has grossed another $160 million or so in home video sales (the third hits Blu-ray/DVD in September). That's more than $2 billion right there.

With "Twilight" riding herd, vampire movies have accounted for an average of 3% of total boxoffice the past three years. So, for example, with "New Moon," "Underworld: Rise of the Lycans" and "Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant" totalling $356.7 million domestic in 2009, that amounted to 3.4% of the industry's $10.6 billion U.S. haul that year.

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The Real Science Behind Sparkly Vampires

One of the most chastised elements in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga is the fact that her tough-as-nails vampires sparkle. Perhaps the masses could get over the lack of pointy teeth, and maybe even the ability to go out in the sunlight, but to sparkle when the sun hits? Blasphemy! Anne Rice making her old vamps have papery skin is one thing, but likening a killer's visage with a sparkly diamond is another thing entirely. Dracula is rolling over in his dirt-lined crypt!

But there might be solid science behind the whys. You've just got to stomach this one fact: Vampires are highly evolved insects.

I Like a Little Science in My Fiction has written an excellent post that explains how and why Meyer's vampires sparkle. It all comes down to their many buggy comparisons. The theory starts with the knowledge that most of the hematophages in the world -- a fancy word for blood eaters -- are bugs. Like fleas, vampires must feed before they reproduce, which triggers a painful metamorphosis. Like butterflies, vamps can remember things from their lowly caterpillar/human days. They're cold-blooded, and have a hard exoskeleton instead of soft, pliable skin. Their speed is like that of the super-fast Tiger Beetle, strong like the horned dung beetle, and have eyes that put our human versions to shame.

But finally -- why do they sparkle? The site posits that vampires must be like butterflies -- sometimes known to feed on blood -- who have tiny iridescent scales.

Yes, it's silly, but it also makes a whole lot of sense. So, next time you pull a Bella and gush over Edward's sparkling face and divine beauty, keep in mind -- you might be lusting for a highly evolved insect.

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