For a second there it looked like the shrieking young female film-going crowd was going to win a major fight on the box office battleground. But the second part of the “Twilight” saga, “New Moon,” couldn't eclipse (ha ha) “The Dark Knight's” $158 million opening weekend record.

“New Moon” did nab its share of box office records - fastest to $100 million, highest single-day gross - but I can't help slighting those achievements because this franchise is just so awful. I saw “Twilight,” and it was mildly nauseating when I wasn't laughing. Maybe it's because of the age gap - after all, the “Twilight” films are squarely aimed at teen and tween audiences. Maybe it's because I didn't read the books and feel too foreign to the story. Maybe it's because I'm a “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” fan, and there's only room for one (non-sparkling) rendition of the blood-sucking race in my heart. Or maybe it's because the first film was marred by shallow writing and acting that alternated between boring and hilariously hammy.

But there's more to this oddly victorious sensation I'm feeling after this weekend. It seems I'm not immune to the box office battle lines drawn not by age, but sex. As a “Star Wars” and Batman fan, I feel this weird sense of co-ownership over “my” movies that's wounded when they're topped by “theirs,” such as “Titanic” or “New Moon.” That same sense felt triumphant last summer when “The Dark Knight” smashed several dozen box office records.

Then again, maybe I'm of perfect maturity to be seeing “New Moon.