MODESTO -- They camped, they waited, they cheered for the finale.
Fans of the "Twilight" movie franchise took to the streets outside area theaters starting late Wednesday.
One guy had been at the Galaxy theaters in Riverbank since midnight, according to general manager Nathan Paul. A guy? Not a girl?
"He's with a group that often comes out for movie premières," Paul said.
It is the end of an era for many young women at the box office this weekend, as the "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 2," finale hits theaters and could gross more than any movie in the vampire franchise. The series, based on Stephanie Meyer's bestselling novels, is expected to debut with about $150 million, according to those who have seen pre-release audience surveys.
That would be the biggest opening ever for a movie in the series, whose biggest domestic hit to date is 2009's "New Moon," which launched with $142.8 million.
The hundreds of fans who were the among the first to see the movie during a special 6 p.m. showing Riverbank, poured from the theater raving that "Breaking Dawn — Part 2" was the best in the series.
"It was awesome," Anja Graham said.
"Amazing! Completely unexpected some of the parts," her friend Crystal Vanderwerff chimed in. "Surprising ending. Best ever."
The unexpected twist at the end was was all the buzz but no one was willing to give it up outside the theater.
"The part that wasn't in the book, the little twist that they added in," said Modesto resident Stephanie Krebs. "I got kind of upset but it was good."
Twihards who waited in line for hours to see the première also noted the thrilling special effects and a more animated Kristen Stewart, whose character made her debut as a vampire.
The final movie has stars Robert Pattinson and Stewart reprising their famed roles as Edward Cullen and Bella Swan. As they seek to lead a peaceful life with their child, the family's existence is threatened by a plot from a rival vampire clan.
Though the lines in the Northern San Joaquin Valley reached only a few feet long, roughly 2,000 fans camped out to watch Pattinson, Stewart and fellow co-star Taylor Lautner walk the red carpet at the film's Los Angeles première Monday evening at the Nokia Theatre.
The fan fervor for the final chapter is clearly at an all-time high, with Fandango reporting Thursday that 92 percent of the day's ticket sales were for "Breaking Dawn — Part 2."
The Los Angeles Times contributed to this report.
Breaking News Editor Patty Guerra can be reached at pguerra@modbee.com or (209) 578-2343.
Bee staff writer Erin Tracy can be reached at etracy@modbee.com or (209) 578-2366.
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