The Twilight vampire saga's final chapter debuted with a massive $341 million in global movie ticket sales as devoted fans bid farewell to blood-sucking spouses Bella and Edward and one of Hollywood's biggest franchises.
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 earned an estimated $141 million in the United States and Canada over the weekend, falling slightly short of a record for the supernatural romance series about a human-vampire-werewolf love triangle.
The total, which includes sales from late night Thursday through Sunday, ranked as the eighth biggest domestic film debut of all time.
New Moon scored the biggest debut of the series, grossing $142.8 million over its first three days in 2009.
The Twilight excitement eclipsed all other movies over the weekend. Last week's winner, James Bond movie Skyfall, finished in second place with $41.5 million at North American theatres.
Skyfall is now the highest-grossing Bond movie to date with a global total of over $669 million, surpassing the $599 million taken in by Casino Royale in 2006.
Historical drama Lincoln expanded from a limited opening a week ago and landed in third place with $21 million.
