Now, I like “Twilight” as much as the next girl, but “New Moon” beating “The Dark Knight” at the box office is kind of ridiculous.

“The Twilight Saga: New Moon” launched into theaters to thousands upon thousands of drooling teenage girls. Those devoted teenage girls also launched the film into the spot of highest-grossing movie in a single day. Yes, that’s right. I said day.

By the opening night of the film, “New Moon” had grossed $72 million, which beat “The Dark Knight’s” record, according to Boxofficemojo.com. It also helps that the movie got $26 million in the midnight preview alone.

However, the movie did not beat “The Dark Knight” in weekend sales; it made $142 million, compared to “The Dark Knight’s” $156 million. The movie is now in the third spot for the highest-grossing movie in a single weekend, behind only “The Dark Knight” and “Spider-Man 3.”

I honestly thought that it would have made more money, no matter how ludicrous that is. You put Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner in a movie (both shirtless), make a franchise over the debate of Team Edward or Team Jacob and have the writer/director from “American Pie” and “The Golden Compass,” and you should get box office gold.

Though the opening weekend sales were not as fabulous as everyone once thought they were going to be, in two weeks the movie has made $240 million domestically and $483 million worldwide.

I don’t necessarily think that it will beat any records for the highest grossing movie in history (“Titanic,” at $600.8 million, domestically).

However, the third, fourth and fifth movies — apparently they are splitting the fourth book into two movies, just like for the seventh Harry Potter book — could be huge successes and could potentially give both “The Dark Knight” and “Titanic” a run for their money. No pun intended.

Let us also consider the fact that “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” will be released in June of 2010, which gives those crazy fan-girls ample time during the summer to see it four or five times in theaters alone.

I do not doubt the complete craziness of those fans, and neither should any of you. I would probably know, being a semi-crazy one myself (though by no means crazy enough to see it that often). The opening showing was enough for me.

I suppose it should be known as “the movie that launched a thousand screaming girls.”