Coinciding with tonight's actual new moon in the night sky, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. announces the official opening of its "Twilight Saga Shops" today in all Walmart stores across the country. The unveiling of the shops kicks off the preparation for the upcoming DVD release of The Twilight Saga: New Moon, at 12:01 am March 20. Last year, the first Twilight DVD release broke historic sales records as hundreds of thousands of fans joined lines and midnight retail parties to be among the first to purchase their copy.

Walmart is planning for another big weekend, preparing all 24-hour stores to entertain fans shortly after twilight, Friday evening. "Twilight-themed" giveaways will go to the first 100 in line. Additionally some stores will have more giveaways to fans that can prove their "Twilight trivia" knowledge in the run-up to the midnight release. Among the many offerings in its Twilight Saga Shops, Walmart will bring out at midnight the "The Twilight Saga: New Moon Ultimate Fan Edition" -- the only DVD to be released with a "sneak peek" of The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. Last year Twilight became one of the most pre-ordered DVD movies in Walmart history, and the most successful DVD release event.

Fans can go to WalMart.com/Twilight to find the nearest 24-hour Walmart among the 2,600 stores nationwide planning for this event. Walmart.com also has movie trailers especially made for those fans that prefer to watch more scenes with their favorite vampires, or favorite wolves' scenes. The "Twilight Saga Shops" in Walmart stores provide a dedicated shopping experience for fans to bite into a variety of "Twilight-themed" clothing, jewelry, and merchandise. Inspired by the competition between Edward and Jacob for Bella's heart, separate sections for Edward and vampire-fan items or Jacob and wolf-fan items are featured.

The "Twilight Saga Shops" are open now through mid-April and offer an incredible list of items at a great Walmart value, such as:

• The Twilight Saga: New Moon Ultimate Fan Edition Two-Disc DVD or Blu-ray and The Twilight Saga: New Moon Ultimate Fan Edition with Forks documentary DVD - all available 12:01 am, Mar. 20
• The Twilight Saga: New Moon Special Edition Two-Disc DVD or Blu-ray - available 12:01 am, Mar. 20
• Wolf and vampire lover tanks
• Twilight Saga-themed tees
• Jacob Black and Edward Cullen tees
• Twilight Saga-themed jewelry (bracelets, pins, key chains, earrings, necklaces)
• Twilight Saga-themed messenger bags and totes
• Twilight Saga books, including "The Twilight Saga: New Moon Official Illustrated Companion Book" and "Life Story" magazine cover issue featuring "Twilight"
• The Twilight Saga: New Moon Ultimate Fan Poster - exclusive DVD cover art
• Character dolls of Bella, Edward and Jacob
• "The Twilight Saga: New Moon: The Score" soundtrack and "The Twilight Saga: New Moon Soundtrack"
• Party snacks and beverages to prepare for DVD viewing parties

Ultimate fans can also find the The Twilight Saga: New Moon: The Movie Board Game and the SCENE IT? Twilight Movie Edition THE DVD GAME at select stores. Walmart will also continue to carry Twilight merchandise at Walmart's 3,500 stores nationwide throughout the year.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse was released June 30th, 2010 and stars Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Billy Burke, Ashley Greene, Jackson Rathbone, Nikki Reed, Kellan Lutz. The film is directed by David Slade.