Netflix has added all five Twilight movies to its U.S. platform. While most fans are rejoicing in the cult classic film series’ return to streaming, others have joked it may be an ominous sign of an economic recession.
Twilight, the first film of the franchise, adapted from Stephenie Meyer’s best-selling vampire-fantasy romance novels, was released in November 2008 and starred Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson in their breakout roles as star-crossed lovers Bella Swan and Edward Cullen. Its release, though considered a box office success, grossing $470 million globally, coincided with the height of the devastating global financial crisis of 2008. The Great Recession lasted from late 2007 to mid-2009 and is widely considered the most severe downturn in U.S. history since the Great Depression. Months after the recession ended in June 2009, the second movie, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, came out. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse followed in 2010, with Breaking Dawn: Part 1 and Breaking Dawn: Part 2 releasing in 2011 and 2012, respectively.
