LOS ANGELES, Jan. 14, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2,  the final chapter of The Twilight Saga, will be released on Blu-ray Disc (plus Digital Copy and Ultraviolet), 2-disc DVD (plus Digital Copy and Ultraviolet), Video On Demand and Digital Download on Saturday, March 2, 2013 from Summit Entertainment, a LIONSGATE company.  Both the Blu-ray Disc and 2-disc DVD will feature hours of extensive bonus materials.  The weekend street date allows for midnight events at retailers nationwide where eager fans will be lining up in anticipation of the finale's home entertainment release.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130114/LA41908)

With the release of Breaking Dawn - Part 2, which has taken in an incredible $290 million in domestic box office so far, The Twilight Saga will become the top-selling home entertainment franchise since 2009, having already sold over 50 million DVD and Blu-ray copies to date.  Driven by an unbelievably enthusiastic and loyal fan base, Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series has sold over 116 million copies worldwide while the global box office for the complete film series stands at over $3.3 billion, with Part 2 achieving the highest grosses of all with $821.8 million. In addition, the franchise now has eight separate Facebook pages dedicated to its stories and characters totaling nearly 80 million fans.

The Blu-ray and 2-disc DVD will include hours of bonus materials that are sure to satisfy even the most dedicated fans. A seven-part making-of documentary will provide an incredibly detailed behind-the-scenes look at how the finale of this epic series came together, including Bella's transformation, a global cast of vampires and the shocking climactic battle scene.  The significant challenges of shooting Breaking Dawn – Part 1 and Part 2 back to back are exposed in the feature, "Two Movies at Once." Viewers will also be able to gain new insight into the making of the film with an audio commentary by director Bill Condon. "Jump to" features allow fans to watch only their favorite scenes in the film featuring Edward Cullen and Jacob Black. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 arrives on Blu-ray Disc and 2-disc DVD for the suggested retail price of $39.99 and $30.98, respectively.  The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 Extended Edition will also be available on March 2^nd.  Both releases will be available for pre-order on January 14^th, 2013.

"The excitement of the worldwide sensation Twilight Saga's final chapter culminates with a massive home entertainment release that will reach fans and retailers nationwide," said Ron Schwartz, Lionsgate Executive Vice President & General Manager, Home Entertainment. "The Twilight Saga has changed the way studios and audiences look at the blockbuster, even altering how Hollywood rolls out its films. Making the home entertainment release as much of an event as the theatrical release, gives our passionate fans an opportunity to celebrate this much-beloved film all over again."

In The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2, the birth of Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward's (Robert Pattinson) child brings conflict between Bella and her lifelong friend, Jacob (Taylor Lautner), and an all-out war between the Cullens and the Volturi.

BLU-RAY & DVD SPECIAL FEATURES^*

• "Forever: Filming Breaking Dawn Part 2" – Seven-part "making of" documentary
  • Chapter 1: "Rebirth"
  • Chapter 2: "Renesmee"
  • Chapter 3: "The Cottage"
  • Chapter 4: "The Gathering"
  • Chapter 5: "The Field"
  • Chapter 6: "The Battle"
  • Chapter 7: "Forever"
• "Two Movies at Once" featurette
• "The Forgotten" Green Day music video
• "Jump to" features
• Audio commentary with director Bill Condon

*** For the home entertainment trailer, please visit www.breakingdawn-themovie.com.
*** For artwork, please visit www.lionsgatepublicity.com ***

PROGRAM INFORMATION
Street Date: March 2^nd, 2013
Year of Production: 2012
Title Copyright: The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 © 2012, Artwork & Supplementary Materials ™ & © 2013 Summit Entertainment, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Type: Theatrical Release
Rating: PG-13 for sequences of violence including disturbing images, some sensuality and partial nudity
Genre: Vampire/Romance
Blu-ray Closed Captioned: English SDH
DVD Closed Captioned: English
Subtitles: English and Spanish
Blu-ray Format: 1080P High Definition 16x9 Widescreen (2.40:1)
DVD Format: 16x9 Widescreen (2.40:1)
Feature Running Time: 115 minutes
Blu-ray Audio Status: English 7.1 DTS HD-MA, English 2.0 Dolby Digital Optimized for Late Night Listening and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
DVD Audio Status: English 5.1 Dolby Digital EX, English 2.0 Dolby Digital Optimized for Late Night Listening and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital

ABOUT SUMMIT ENTERTAINMENT, LLC
Summit Entertainment, a LIONSGATE^® company, is a worldwide theatrical motion picture development, financing, production and distribution studio. The company handles all aspects of marketing and distribution for both its own internally developed motion pictures as well as acquired pictures.

ABOUT LIONSGATE
Lionsgate is a leading global entertainment company with a strong and diversified presence in motion picture production and distribution, television programming and syndication, home entertainment, family entertainment, digital distribution, new channel platforms and international distribution and sales.  The Company has built a strong television presence in production of primetime cable and broadcast network series, distribution and syndication of programming and an array of channel assets. Lionsgate currently has 23 shows on 16 networks spanning its primetime production, distribution and syndication businesses, including the multiple Emmy Award-winning Mad Men, the critically acclaimed series Weeds, Nurse Jackie, the comedy Anger Management, which has been picked up for another 90 episodes by FX, the network series Nashville, picked up for a full season of 22 episodes by ABC, the syndication successes Tyler Perry's House of Payne, its spinoff Meet the Browns, The Wendy Williams Show, Are We There Yet? and the upcoming Orange Is The New Black, an original series for Netflix.

Its feature film business has been fueled by such recent successes as the blockbuster first installment of The Hunger Games franchise, the 13^th highest-grossing domestic box office release of all time, The Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn – Part 2, which has grossed more than $800 million at the worldwide box office, Texas Chainsaw 3D, The Possession, Sinister, The Expendables 2, Cabin in the Woods, Tyler Perry's Madea's Witness Protection and Arbitrage.  With the January 2012 acquisition of Summit Entertainment, the Company has now added the blockbuster Twilight Saga, which has grossed more than $3.3 billion at the worldwide box office, to its current slate, giving the Company the two premier young adult franchises in the world. Recent Summit hits include Red, Letters to Juliet, Knowing and the Academy Award-winning Best Picture, The Hurt Locker.

Lionsgate's home entertainment business is an industry leader in box office-to-DVD and box office-to-VOD revenue conversion rate. Lionsgate handles a prestigious and prolific library of approximately 15,000 motion picture and television titles that is an important source of recurring revenue and serves as the foundation for the growth of the Company's core businesses. The Lionsgate and Summit brands remain synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the world.

SOURCE Summit Entertainment, a LIONSGATE(R) company