"New Moon" breaks midnight record at box offices

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Vampire romance movie "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" raked in $26.3 million (15.9 million pounds) at North American box offices in midnight showings, breaking the record set by "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," studio officials said on Friday.

Box office analysts expect the widely-anticipated "New Moon" to make around $100 million in its opening weekend, Friday through Sunday, including the midnight screenings.

The $26.3 million places the film at No. 1 on the all-time list of top box office grosses for midnight screenings in domestic markets, said Summit Entertainment, the independent studio behind the film.

"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" made $22.2 million in midnight screenings when it was released this past July.

(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis: Editing by Bob Tourtellotte and Sandra Maler)