Hordes of teenage fans of the "Twilight" series of vampire books lined up in downtown Toronto for a chance to see the stars of the forthcoming movie adaptation.

The actors appeared at MuchMusic's studios at 299 Queen St. W. at about 6 p.m. on Saturday, but the most fanatical fans started lining up late Friday to camp out overnight -- in the rain and cold.

In San Francisco on Monday, an estimated 3,000 showed up at a similar event. MuchMusic organizers estimated about 2,000 showed up. They had wristbands for 1,000.

"Twilight" hits the silver screen next Friday.

Most professional movie-watchers think it has a very good chance of being a big hit for the following reasons:

• The "Twilight" novels by Stephanie Meyer (who will have a cameo in the flick) have been extremely popular with teens, selling more than eight million copies
• The soundtrack is already topping the U.S. charts
• The online trailer has enjoyed huge success
• The film comes with a built-in audience

"I think the movie is going to be an enormous hit -- especially with teenage girls. I think you're looking at lineups around the block," movie critic Richard Crouse told CTV Toronto. Some of those young teens went wild when he simply told them he met the actors.

Some older teens described the "Twilight" stories as good, escapist fun.

The basic storyline of the movie is that teenaged Bella (Kristen Stewart, most recently in "Jumpers"), who lives in a small town in Washington state, falls for Edward (English actor Robert Pattinson), a vampire who doesn't want to suck her blood.

Instead, he tries to protect her from the evil vampires, led by Victoria (Montreal actor Rachelle Lefevre).

Those three actors were on hand at MuchMusic's studios, along with Nikki Reed. When they appeared on stage, the screams of their fans echoed through the neighbourhood.

With a report from CTV Toronto's Galit Solomon