'The Host' Trailer: 5 Reasons the Movie Won't Have Twilight's Success

The Host, a sci-fi thriller based on Stephenie Meyer's bestselling novel, is out in theaters. It’s sure to be a box office success; targeted at Twi-hards who made the Twilight franchise hundreds of millions of dollars, the film is expected to pull in about $15 million over the weekend. Yet that is nowhere near the loot that the Twilight films collected during their opening weekends. Twilight made over $69 million its opening weekend and New Moon, which boasts the most successful opening weekend of the five Twilight films, made a whopping $142 million. Sure, The Host will be competing with films such as GI JOE: Retaliation (Channing Tatum!!!) and Tyler Perry’s Temptation, but there are five other key reasons why there is no way The Host will be as successful as the Twilight series.

1. The first is often the best

Authors pour their hearts and souls into their first novels. It’s their baby; and everyone knows, parents always love their first child the most. So often, renowned authors are best-known for their first work, which they wrote before they were jaded by fame and fortune.

Take J.K. Rowling; the Harry Potter series was a fairytale success that catapulted her to stardom. But her first novel since the series, The Casual Vacancy, was panned by critics when it was released this fall. Catch-22 was Joseph Heller’s first novel and none of his others can compare. Like many writers before her, Meyers peaked with her first novel, or in this case, her first series. The Host was a bestseller, but did not hold its spot nearly as long as the Twilight books did. The same fate is expected for the movie.

2. Sci-fi isn’t as sexy, or as shirtless, as fantasy

As evidenced by the trailer, The Host is utterly lacking in shirtlessness. I mean, c’mon, Twilight had shirts literally being ripped to shreds by bulging muscles as teenage boys were transformed into werewolves. So even just a glimpse of bare pecs would do wonders for The Host, especially because sci-fi is already a few steps behind fantasy in the sexiness department. Lead Max Irons, who plays heartthrob Jared, is an undeniable hottie but two is better than one; Twilight made all parties happy by providing both the tall, pale, and soulful vampire (a bit of a hipster, I’d say) and the Magic Mike-worthy werewolf with a chiseled jaw and an uber-toned bod.

3. There is no love triangle – at least not one involving a human, a werewolf, and a vampire

Fans love choosing sides (I’m Team Edward, all the way), but The Host doesn’t give viewers the chance since there’s no love triangle. Um, boring. Yes, one could argue that there’s a bit of a love triangle among Melanie, Jared, and Wanda, but since Wanda inhabits Melanie’s body, it’s not the same thing. The Host viewers will miss the scary, but sexy, growling and baring of fangs that dominated the standoffs between Edward and Jacob over Bella.

 4. A lack of sexual tension is never a good thing

Melanie and Jared share some steamy kisses during The Host, but the film lacks the sexual tension of the Twilight series. First of all, as previously mentioned, there’s no love triangle to add some fuel to the fire (and desire). Plus, a major theme of the Twilight series is abstinence before marriage; as a Mormon, Meyers admitted that her faith and values had a major influence on the storyline. Thus, Twilight fans are kept waiting till the fourth movie, after Edward and Bella have gotten married, for the newlyweds to finally do the deed; and they’re rewarded, the couple breaks the bed. A major theme of The Host, on the other hand, is body image. Perhaps a positive theme to explore, but it doesn’t build anticipation in the same way, now does it?

5. There’s nothing to look forward to

Between each of the first four Twilight movies, fans waited with baited breath for the next. The Host is not part of a series, so after the ending credits roll there’s, well, nothing.

Watch The Host trailer: