Image caption A "Twi-hard" gets excited ahead of an Eclipse preview in New Mexico

The latest film in the Twilight series has broken the record set by its predecessor for takings from midnight screenings in the US and Canada.

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse made more than $30 million (£20.1m) from midnight screenings on Wednesday, according to its distributor Summit Entertainment.

That exceeded the $26.3m (£17.6m) New Moon made when it opened last November.

Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart star in Eclipse, the third instalment in the vampire romance series.

The film has its UK premiere later, with advance screenings to follow this weekend ahead of its official UK release on 9 July.

Neither Stewart and Pattinson will be at the London premiere, although it will be attended by director David Slade and other cast members.

Twilight fans - dubbed "Twi-hards" by some - lined up hours ahead of the first midnight showings.

Experts expect Eclipse to have a record-breaking US debut over the traditionally lucrative Fourth of July weekend.