Craze Over "Eclipse" Hits Stony Brook Theatre

Sisters Lauren and Julie Parrotta of Stony Brook share a love of the Twilight saga, but therein lies their difference of opinion.

Lauren, 21, is an Edward fan.

"When you're reading the books, you just want [Edward and Bella] to be together," she said.

Julie, 17, adores Jacob.

"He's my age, so... you know," she said, laughing.

With fans split nearly evenly down the middle in support of Team Edward or Team Jacob, one thing remained indisputable on Wednesday: they came out in droves at the AMC Loews Theatre in Stony Brook on opening day for "Eclipse," the third movie based on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight saga.

A spokesperson for AMC Loews said its Stony Brook theatre sold out nine 12:01 a.m. showings of the movie. Tickets went on sale two weeks before the movie's opening. All of which meant one other inevitability: waiting on long lines.

"This is a little ridiculous, but I'm very excited," said Nicole Calandrino, 25, of South Setauket, who lined up around 7:30 p.m. for a 9:00 showing with friends from work.

Adults and teens decked out in "Twilight" t-shirts and hoodies joined tweens with "I Heart Eclipse" written on their hands.

Laura Vlismas, 44, of Centereach, was looking forward to seeing how the storyline developed and whether the acting had improved.

"I thought Bella was a little weird with her acting," she said. "But she got better in 'New Moon,' so I'm thinking she's going to be better in this one."

Jerry Smith, 22, of Nesconset, stood out in the predominantly female crowd, one of relatively few gentlemen in line.

"I don't mind it," he said. "I'm pretty secure about myself."

Later, as fans left the theatre, they shared their reviews of the film. Don't worry – no spoilers here.

"I thought it was fantastically exciting," said Sherry Davey, 42, of Bohemia, who attended the movie with daughter Atheena, 13, and mom Penny, 64. "There were a lot of funnier moments in this than the others. A lot more action."

For Jamie Berman, 23, of Coram, the film met expectations. "Everyone's personality comes out a lot more in this movie," she said.