After the success of sales of previous releases of Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight saga, everyone knew that the DVD release would be big, but no one suspected how big. Never has a DVD release had so much promotion – midnight parties at most store chains around the globe. Fans spent hours gathered at their favorite stores to play games, win prizes, and talk to other fans as they waited until midnight to own the film adaptation of the first book in the series.  Of course that wasn’t all.  Most stores were stocked with tons of new and previously sold out merchandise as well.

The story of Twilight follows the life of teenager Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart), who after moving to the small town of Forks meets a handsome boy with a lot of secrets, Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson).  Bella starts suspecting something is different about him after he saves her from a colliding van by stopping it with his hand.  Although he pushes her away, she finally uncovers his secret – he is a vampire.  Edward and Bella quickly fall in love with each other despite the dangers.  The movie contains not only romance, but also some suspense and action; however, the movie does seem to be geared mostly to the audience of the book series, teenage girls.  However, most Twilight fans, regardless of their gender or age, will enjoy the movie.  After all, the opening weekend release in theaters in November of last year raked in over $70.5 million for Summit Entertainment.  The DVD itself has already been listed as being the most preordered movie in Wal-Mart history.  All fans waited excitedly for its release date to arrive.

The only problem was where to go and which DVD to buy.  Not only were there three basic versions of the movie (one-disc, two disc special edition, and blu-ray), but each store in addition to having their own events and parties also offered their own special promotions.  Some included extra merchandise, such as Hot Topic which offered a numbered film cell from the movie, FYE who offered a free tote bag with purchase (and also sold an exclusive DVD box with photos), Barnes and Noble, who offered a code for a free skin for your mp3 player or phone, and Amazon who offered a special blu-ray edition for preorder (to be released on May 5, 2009), “The Ultimate Collectors Set,” that includes the soundtrack, jewelry, and a bunch of other items (though most available for purchase separately), to name a few.  Both of the Amazon editions also include a digital copy of the movie.  Hot Topic was the only store with parties raffling autographs; however, you had to pay for the movie to get invited to the party.  Of course, most stores were also boasting their own discounts (however it seems that most stores have now lowered the prices of the two-disc editions to be in a similar price range of each other).  Most fans, however, were more interested in the bonus features on the discs, and as usual, with lack of descriptions, it was hard to tell who was selling what.  Borders was offering their own edition with a more elaborate packaging, as well as bonus features exclusive to Borders, such as interviews with the writer and the stars of the movie.  The package also includes ten 5x7 photos of scenes from the movie.  The other special version was sold by Target, which includes a third DVD (or in the case of the blu-ray edition, a second), that boasts over forty-five minutes of exclusive features, as well as a downloadable version of the movie and all the bonus features.  Most of the bonus merchandise offers were only available with preorder, but some such as Borders and Target are still available (however with Borders you may have to wait).  Still, many fans were left wondering which version to buy, many buying more than one.  I have to admit to falling into that category.  For those still deciding on features, I have broken down the differences.

For those wanting the basic movie for the cheapest price, your best bet is the regular one-disc version, available exclusively at Wal-Mart.  This disc includes what is on the first disc of the other editions – the movie, audio commentary, extended scenes, and three music videos (Muse, Paramore, and Linkin Park).  Note that with price changes after the release date, most stores are selling the two-disc special edition for only about a dollar more now.  Of course if you really are looking to not spend a lot, you can purchase a movie download from a place like Amazon or iTunes.  Comcast is also hosting the movie on pay-per-view (in HD as well).

The two-disc special edition and the one-disc blu-ray include everything that is in the regular edition, plus deleted scenes, a seven-part documentary on how Twilight was created from book to screen, some videos from Comicon, and three trailers.  Note that most of the exclusive DVD editions at other stores list all of the special features and sometimes it seems like certain things are exclusive that aren’t.  The above is on all of the two-disc/blu-ray editions.  These features are well worth the extra money, especially for the deleted scenes and the documentary, which is very extensive.  The two-disc edition is available most places.  Strange enough, the only stores to offer blu-ray editions opening day were Best Buys and Target, with Target being the obvious winner if you are going for features.  Some stores claim they will sell the blu-ray edition in the following months.

The Borders special edition, in addition to the black fold out box and ten photo cards, has features added onto the second disc, including interviews with cast members (Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Cam Gigandet, Edi Gathegi and Rachelle Lefevre), red carpet footage from the movie premiere (some of it never before seen), and a Borders Club conversation with Stephenie Meyer.  At least online, this version is on backorder.  They also sell the two-disc version; however, it is much cheaper pretty much everywhere else.  Borders special edition, at least while on sale, costs around twelve dollars more than the regular two-disc version now that most stores are selling them for less; however, it is well worth the difference.

The Target edition has completely different exclusive features, including a conversation with Stephenie Meyer, a feature on the music of the movie, features about becoming Edward and becoming Bella, a “Vampire Kiss Montage” by the director Catherine Hardwicke (which includes some extended/deleted scenes), the director’s “Bella’s Lullaby Remix” music video, and Edward’s piano concert.  All of this content is also available free for download with this edition for your iPod.  Surprisingly, their special editions are available for around the same price as other stores’ two-disc and blu-ray editions.

Which to choose?  As an owner of both the Borders and Target editions (and therefore all the DVD bonus content), my answer is simply it depends what you like.  If you want a collectible box and some great photos for your money, I’d point you towards the Borders edition.  If you are simply going for bonus features, it’s more about what interests you the most.  Both versions have extensive interviews with Stephenie Meyer, Borders being a more informal interview/discussion.  The Borders version focuses more on interview clips while the Target edition focuses more on the making of the movie and deleted scenes.  Personally I enjoyed the features on the Target edition more, because the montage included some scenes that were different from the movie, such as an extended version of Carlisle turning Edward and Edward biting Bella in class (assumingly in a dream).  However, the photo cards of the Borders edition are very nice, which was the deciding factor in me purchasing both.  These photo cards are different from both the ten 5x7 photos included in the DVD photo box from FYE, which I also purchased, as well as those in the Amazon edition (at least from what you can see on their site).  Basically, if you are a fan of Twilight, you will enjoy either on both versions.

Already reports have come in from Summit Entertainment that Twilight DVD sales passed three million on just the first day of the release alone.  It is obvious that Twilight fans are a force to be reckoned with!