LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The finale ranks eighth on the list of all-time domestic debuts, and leaves "Twilight" with three of the top-10 openings., "New Moon" in 2009 came in seventh place with $142.8 million and last year's "Breaking Dawn - Part 1" is at number nine with $138.1 million.

Last May's "The Avengers" remains in first place with $207.4 million. Another franchise, dealing with bats tangentially -- "Batman" is the only other franchise with more than one top-10 opening, as witness last July's "The Dark Knight Rises" at number three with $160.9 million and 2008's "The Dark Knight" at number four with $158.4 million.

"Breaking Dawn - Part 2" held a significant surprise. The "Twilight" series supposedly appeals mostly to women and girls, taken in with its stories of hunky vampires and werewolves and non-explicit violence. The latest installment drew the biggest male crowds in the series.

Action-minded guys had more to root for in the finale as Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner join in a battle to end the story of warring vampires and werewolves.

"Our male audience particularly has enjoyed this film," Richie Fay, head of distribution for Lionsgate says. "With the action scenes in this one, we're hoping the holdover business will reflect the fact that males have kind of found it out."

Lionsgate, known chiefly for low-budget genre releases has since been lifted into the big leagues among Hollywood studios. Coupled with its $400 million smash with "The Hunger Games" and now the "Twilight" finale, Lionsgate surpassed $1 billion at the domestic box office for the first time.

The "Twilight" finale took over the No. 1 spot from Sony's James Bond adventure "Skyfall," which has since gone to second-place with $41.5 million domestically in its second weekend. "Skyfall" raised its domestic total to $161.3 million.

"Skyfall" passed the previous franchise high of $599.2 million worldwide for 2006's "Casino Royale."

The darker and far more cerebral "Lincoln," directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Daniel Day-Lewis' came in at No. 3 with $21 million. Distributed by Disney, "Lincoln" lifted its domestic haul to $22.4 million.

The Top Ten at the nation's box offices this past weekend went like this:

1. "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2," $141.3 million ($199.6 million international).

2. "Skyfall," $41.5 million ($49.6 million international).

3. "Lincoln," $21 million.

4. "Wreck-It Ralph," $18.3 million ($4.8 million international).

5. "Flight," $8.6 million ($1 million international).

6. "Argo," $4.1 million ($8.7 million international).

7. "Taken 2," $2.1 million ($2 million international).

8. "Pitch Perfect," $1.3 million ($4.1 million international).

9. "Here Comes the Boom," $1.2 million ($2.5 million international).

10 (tie). "Cloud Atlas," $900,000 ($5 million international).

10 (tie). "Hotel Transylvania," $900,000 ($7.8 million international).

10 (tie). "The Sessions," $900,000.

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