Thank goodness for Twilight (and Kstew)

In a world where independent films have diminishing opportunities to be seen -- even those "Hollywood" indies, with their "modest" $10 million budgets and A-list stars -- thank goodness for Twilight. Sure, some may lambaste the sparkly vampire property for its swooning treatment of the traditionally dark and dangerous vampire mythos, or claim that the franchise only exists to fuel teenybopper fantasies with tepid, moony-eyed romance. But while you can hate the $670 million+ film franchise (counting theatrical and DVD returns for Twilight and its yet-to-be-released on DVD sequel, New Moon) for a number of reasons, there's no denying the megabucks. Because behind the megabucks is a rabid fan base, and that fan base has trickled down to benefit a worthy cause: indie film.

There's logic behind that thinking, I assure you. For example: How many teen girls would have films like The Cake Eaters and this week's The Yellow Handkerchief on their radar if 19-year-old Kristen Stewart hadn't been their Bella Swan? Or cared enough about the Sundance entries Welcome to the Rileys and The Runaways to post and retweet their production stills and trailers up and down Twitter? Like it or not, the single best side effect of the enormity that is the Twilight phenomenon is that the intangible, teen idolizing force that transformed Kristen Stewart into KStew (and Robert Pattinson into RPattz) and has spilled over into small-scale cinema, bringing the power of its youthful, enthusiastic fan following with it.

Stewart was no stranger to acting by the time she became "KStew" (which I'll define as the celebrity entity powered by the squeals of millions of Twilighters around the world), having acted in films big and small since her debut in 2002's Panic Room. Even around the time her name began being used in conjunction with Stephenie Meyer's vampire romance, she'd had roles in a number of recent major studio films and high profile indies including The Messengers, Into the Wild, and In the Land of Women -- films nevertheless known more for their genres or Stewart's better-known cast mates. Enter Twilight. Once the massive hit turned Stewart into a household name, a handful of smaller independent films she'd done prior to Twilight benefited exponentially.

One of those smaller films was the ensemble drama The Cake Eaters, directed by actress Mary Stuart Masterson. After making the rounds on the film festival circuit and debuting in limited release in March of 2009, the film found a loyal fan following once the Twilight audience latched on. Stewart, who plays a terminally ill girl in the multi-strand story, adorns the film's promo art. On the film's official blog, fans are encouraged to send in photos of themselves "reshuffling" The Cake Eaters DVDs at their local stores so that the DVDs dominate the shelves. Look closely and see that along with The Cake Eaters DVDs, these mostly young women are also "reshuffling" copies of Twilight DVDs to the front of the stack. Coincidence?

Likewise, KStew fans have a chance this week to come out in droves to support her latest small non-Twilight film, The Yellow Handkerchief. Shot in February of 2007, before she was even cast in Twilight, The Yellow Handkerchief debuted at the Sundance Film Festival and nabbed distribution last year courtesy of Samuel Goldwyn Films. It will finally reach theaters this week in limited release, although if box office booms enough it could expand to other cities. And with its teen-friendly PG-13 rating, success could be within reach.

However, ratings could prevent other upcoming Stewart films from capitalizing on her star power. Flora Sigismondi's The Runaways, the rock biopic of the titular '70s girl rockers, is rated R for "language, drug use, and sexual content -- all involving teens," which will hinder the younger ranks of the Twilight set from attending. Shame, especially considering that The Runaways has twice the Twilight power given it stars not only Stewart as Joan Jett, but also her New Moon co-star Dakota Fanning as Cherie Currie. Still, the older Twilight audience will undoubtedly come out in support of the film -- but then, weren't they the key demographic after all? Also uncertain is the indie drama Welcome to the Rileys, which debuted at Sundance this year. Though it hasn't yet earned a film rating, the subject matter may prove just as mature as The Runaways, with Stewart playing a 16-year-old prostitute in a performance that USA Today's Anthony Breznican called "shockingly sexual."

Prognosticators might look to the extra-Twilight career of Stewart's co-star Robert Pattinson for hints. His star wattage may have gotten pre-Twilight projects like How to Be more attention (his 2006 BBC feature The Haunted Airman earned a Region 1 DVD release last year), but his daring turn as Salvador Dali in 2009's Little Ashes disappointed at the box office, earning a total of $650,000 worldwide. Was it the gay theme that deterred RPattz fans, the mixed reviews, the fact that it only played in as many as 16 theaters, or the R rating that prevented more fans from buying tickets in droves? (And didn't they know about his nude scene??)

Pattinson's career is unlikely to repeat that box-office misstep; his next film, the romantic drama Remember Me, is rated PG-13. (It's also being cleverly marketed by Summit Entertainment in conjunction with his June sequel, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.) After that he's doing Bel Ami with Christina Ricci and Uma Thurman, Unbound Captives with Rachel Weisz and Hugh Jackman, and the Fox adaptation of Water for Elephants, sending him well on his path toward starring in major studio releases and "big" indie films in the very least.

In the meantime, we'll see how much KStew's KStewiness benefits The Yellow Handkerchief when it opens this week, as well as her future projects like March's The Runaways. Will the filmmakers behind those movies be saying, "Thank goodness for KStew!" when it's time to count ticket sales?

Source