"Much anticipated" would be an understatement.

Lindsey Geist had been counting the days until the release of "New Moon."

Brecken Kram, who doesn't even like to read, reread all the books in the "Twilight" series in the days before the premiere.

Sara DesGeorges showed up for Century Boulder's midnight showing at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, and she wasn't even the first person in line.

"New Moon" is the second installment in the four-book "Twilight" series, which tells the story of Edward, a vampire fighting to restrain his impulses, and Bella, the awkward girl he falls in love with.

The books and the movies have captured the imagination of millions of women and girls and become a cultural phenomenon, complete with the requisite merchandising.

Century Boulder sold out three theaters for showings at 12:01, 12:02 and 12:03 a.m. and had another showing scheduled for 3 a.m. Other theaters in the region reported similar sales.

Fairview High School students Melanie Wilkerson and Lily Alpers, wearing their "Twilight" T-shirts, sat in line three hours before the movie was scheduled to start, doing French and math homework.

"I thought, 'Ew, vampires. I'm not reading a book about vampires," Lily said. "Then I started reading and thought, 'This isn't about vampires at all.' There's something so special about it. They're so in love, it hurts to read about it."

A group of mothers and daughters, ranging in age from 40 to 12, made the trip down from Longmont to camp out before the premiere.

"It's a great love story, and I really appreciate that it's clean enough that mothers and daughters can enjoy it together," said Kym Kram, Brecken's mother.

Geist and her best friend Christi McVay, both 27-year-old stay-at-home moms, got a hotel room in Boulder and drove in from Longmont to make a night of it.

Geist's husband gave her the first book for Christmas last year, and they've been hooked ever since.

"We're married. We have kids," Geist said. "It's so nice to go somewhere else for a while," said McVay, finishing her friend's thought.

DesGeorges, a freshman at the University of Colorado, said the story appeals so strongly to girls because Edward gives up so much to be with Bella.

"It gives a girl a better understanding of what they deserve in a relationship, how they deserve to be treated," she said. "It tells girls they're worth it."

Contact Camera Staff Writer Erica Meltzer at 303-473-1355 or meltzere@dailycamera.com.