When the “Twilight” saga was re-released in theaters from Oct. 29 to Nov. 2, 2025, its history was dug up along with it. From cringeworthy quotes to continued love triangle debates, there’s no doubt that something related to the franchise comes up on TikTok “For You” pages at least once a month. So what keeps it afloat in today’s culture?
Right off the bat, it’s easy to determine that “Twilight” was impactful. The books — four main novels released from 2005 to 2008 and two additional works — have sold over 160 million copies worldwide. Equally massive, the movies have generated a total of $3.3 billion in box office revenue. At face value, this demonstrates just how widely consumed the franchise is, breaking records in the box office. The finale alone had a smashing debut, garnering $340.9 million worldwide. This was the highest opening of the series, showing how much the story stuck with fans and kept them returning to theaters.
Beyond the box office, the franchise made an impact on storytelling and novels, increasing the popularity of the supernatural romance genre, love triangles and the young adult dystopia genre. This eventually resulted in the rise of series like “The Hunger Games,” which included the “love triangle” trope heavily popularized by “Twilight.” Popular releases still see this influence today, like last summer’s biggest hit, “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” which featured a love triangle as its major plot point. The show even had similar archetypes — the quiet and emotionally-troubled older boy versus the cheery and sociable younger one.
What makes the longevity of “Twilight”’s cultural influence so interesting is the way it stays relevant despite all the controversy. One of the major issues in the novel is the unhealthy dynamic between Bella Swan and Edward Cullen. Bella is a relatable, introverted teenage girl. She’s bookish, quiet, awkward and isn’t very good at making friends. Meanwhile, Edward is a stoic, handsome, old-fashioned vampire who carries a mysterious aura that is romanticized by the characters. Not only is the concept of an immortal 108-year-old man falling in love with a 17-year-old girl strange, but their codependent dynamic sends an unhealthy message to young girls about what a loving relationship is supposed to look like.
According to Psychology Today, Bella’s low self-esteem makes her a prime target for relationship abuse, highlighting the way that Edward has complete control over her view of herself and what she does. Wind Goodfriend, who has a doctorate in social psychology, explains, “One of his hallmark characteristics is his control over Bella and his attempts to isolate her from others.” Once he and Bella become locked-in lovers, Edward consistently shields her from outside interactions, most notably with Jacob. He even goes as far as to tamper with her car, removing any route of escape.
The controversial relationship dynamics are not limited to Edward, with there being a plethora of oddities surrounding Bella’s secondary love interest Jacob Black. Jacob is a shapeshifter-werewolf and a long-time childhood friend of Bella. But between “imprinting” on an unborn baby, kissing Bella without her consent and telling Bella he would die if she didn’t say she loved him and his “pack” of wolves — which also carried a controversial representation of Native Americans — it’s safe to say that there was a lot wrong with Jacob’s character.
According to the media news outlet CBR, Jacob expected romance from Bella for his emotional help and “manipulated Bella into kissing him not once, but twice against her will, which didn’t sit well with fans.” Jacob didn’t take consent seriously throughout the whole series, which was evident in how he showed no guilt when Edward got mad at him for kissing Bella and when he didn’t take Bella seriously after she punched him when he kissed her again.
The Native American representation in “Twilight” is another major flaw. Jacob is meant to be a member of the Quileute Tribe, which is a federally recognized tribe in the U.S. Jacob is constantly depicted as “wild” and “free,” made clear by his lack of a shirt in many scenes and his inability to “control” his wolf behaviors.
This is in deep contrast to the way Edward and the vampires are represented, being described as old-fashioned, clean and wealthy. They have a large house and clean and professional clothes, and Edward has an obsession with chastity and purity, leaning into Christian and purity culture ideals. This is very harmful to Native American representation, feeding into mischaracterizations of Native people from the 1950s. It pushes forth the stereotype that Native Americans are “wild” and need to be “controlled.”
Despite these problematic factors, what makes the “Twilight” saga so prominent and loved to this day? The most obvious answer is nostalgia. With such immense success among teenage girls when the books and movies came out, it’s only natural that these same girls feel a sense of attachment to the series, as many could have related to Bella who, at the start of the series, is a bookish, awkward and quiet young girl.
The “Twilight” saga remains culturally significant, so much so that it was re-released in theaters last fall. Despite all the controversy, ridicule, bad writing and questionable plotlines, it’s clearly a cult classic. And no matter how strange it is that Jacob imprinted on a baby or how cringeworthy it was to watch Edward show off his vampire powers, people will continue to quote “How long have you been 17?” and “Where the hell have you been, loca!”
