Still from The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 (2012)
Film 5 of 5 · by Tessa Marlowe

Breaking Dawn Part 2 (2012): Cast, Plot, Ending and Where to Watch

Breaking Dawn Part 2 (2012) is the fifth and final film in the Twilight saga, directed by Bill Condon and starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner. It reached US theaters on November 16, 2012, runs 115 minutes and carries ratings of PG-13 in the US, 12A in the UK and M in Australia. As of November 3, 2026, you can stream it on Netflix in the US and UK, and on Stan in Australia.

Image: TMDB
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 (2012) theatrical poster
US release
November 16, 2012
Runtime
1h 55m
Rating
PG-13 / 12A / M
Director
Bill Condon
Budget
$120 million
Worldwide
$889 million

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 Trailer

THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN - PART 2 - Theatrical Trailer

New Twilight movie trailer

What Is Breaking Dawn Part 2 About?

Breaking Dawn Part 2 follows Bella Swan's first days as a newborn vampire and the Cullen family's effort to protect her daughter Renesmee after a misunderstanding reaches the Volturi. The film, directed by Bill Condon, continues the story from breaking dawn part 1 and closes the five film series that began with twilight 2008.

Bella wakes after giving birth and finds her new senses and strength thrilling, which is a very different Bella from the teenager who moved to Forks from Phoenix in the first film. Jacob Black, who had been angry at the baby, instead bonds with Renesmee for life, and the wolf pack treats that bond as a settled matter. Renesmee also grows at an astonishing speed, and Charlie Swan starts to notice that something is strange about the family.

The trouble starts when another vampire, Irina, sees the child from a distance and misreads what she is. She carries the news to the Volturi, and the Cullens have to decide how far they will go to keep their daughter safe. If you are choosing a film for a family evening, the official ratings are PG-13 in the US, 12A in the UK and M in Australia, and the film runs 115 minutes.

Breaking Dawn Part 2 Cast and Characters

Twilight cast

More of the cast: Wendell Pierce (J. Jenks), Mackenzie Foy (Renesmee), Lee Pace (Garrett), Daniel Cudmore (Felix), Cameron Bright (Alec), Booboo Stewart (Seth), Michael Sheen (Aro), Christopher Heyerdahl (Marcus), Charlie Bewley (Demetri), Chaske Spencer (Sam Uley), Julia Jones (Leah), Alex Rice (Sue Clearwater).

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 Stills

Release Dates

MarketDateSource
USNovember 16, 2012confirmedthe-numbers.com
UKNovember 16, 2012reportedthemoviedb.org
AUNovember 15, 2012reportedthemoviedb.org

Where to Watch The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2

MarketSubscriptionRent or buy
USNetflix, Netflix Standard with AdsAmazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand, Plex
UKNetflix, HBO Max Amazon Channel, Now TV Cinema, Netflix Standard with Ads, ITVX Premium, Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel, HBO Max, Tubi TV, ITVX (Free with ads)Apple TV Store, Rakuten TV, Amazon Video, Sky Store, YouTube
AUStanJustWatch TV Store, Apple TV Store, Amazon Video, YouTube, Fetch TV

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, checked 2026-11-03.

Who Directed Breaking Dawn Part 2?

DirectorBill Condon
WritersMelissa Rosenberg
ProducersWyck Godfrey, Stephenie Meyer, Karen Rosenfelt
MusicCarter Burwell
CinematographyGuillermo Navarro

Box Office

Budget$120 million
Domestic (US and Canada)$293 million
International$596 million
Worldwide$889 million
Worldwide, in September 2026 dollars$1.30 billion

Twilight box office for every film.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 Soundtrack and Score

Carter Burwell composed the score for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2, released on the score album "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2" (36 tracks) on November 12, 2012, and the songs arrived the next day on "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack" (14 tracks) from Atlantic on November 13, 2012.

The song most tied to the film itself is "A Thousand Years, Pt. 2" by Christina Perri and Steve Kazee, which was written for the film. It plays over the closing scene and then over the end credits, so it is the last music you hear in the saga.

Two other songs have a placed scene. "Where I Come From" by Passion Pit plays as Bella wakes after her transformation, and "Heart of Stone" by Iko plays as Edward and Bella talk in the cottage after finding Alice's note.

The rest of the song lineup, in case you are building a playlist:

  • "The Forgotten" by Green Day
  • "Bittersweet" by Ellie Goulding
  • "The Antidote" by St. Vincent
  • "Fire in the Water" by Feist
  • "Ghosts" by James Vincent McMorrow
  • "All I've Ever Needed" by Paul McDonald and Nikki Reed
  • "New for You" by Reeve Carney
  • "Speak Up" by POP ETC
  • "Cover Your Tracks" by A Boy and His Kite

If you want the music of every film side by side, head to the twilight soundtrack page.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2 album cover

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2

Score album · November 12, 2012 · 36 tracks

Cover art via Cover Art Archive

Full tracklist

  1. 1Twilight Overture · Carter Burwell3:03
  2. 2A World Bright and Buzzing · Carter Burwell1:11
  3. 3The Lamb Hunts the Lion · Carter Burwell1:59
  4. 4Meet Renesmee · Carter Burwell2:44
  5. 5Here Goes Nothing · Carter Burwell1:00
  6. 6Sparkles at Last · Carter Burwell1:05
  7. 7Catching Snowflakes · Carter Burwell1:41
  8. 8The Immortal Children · Carter Burwell2:01
  9. 9Merchant of Venice · Carter Burwell0:45
  10. 10Into the White · Carter Burwell1:04
  11. 11Renesmee's Lullaby / Something Terrible · Carter Burwell3:03
  12. 12A Way With the World · Carter Burwell1:38
  13. 13The Amazon Arrives · Carter Burwell1:00
  14. 14A Yankee Vampire · Carter Burwell1:08
  15. 15Cloud Forest · Carter Burwell1:24
  16. 16Witnesses · Carter Burwell1:37
  17. 17We Will Fight · Carter Burwell0:57
  18. 18Shield Training · Carter Burwell2:10
  19. 19At Bedtime a Child Asks About Death · Carter Burwell1:15
  20. 20Decoding Alice · Carter Burwell1:46
  21. 21The Driving Question · Carter Burwell1:10
  22. 22Present Time · Carter Burwell2:12
  23. 23This Extraordinary Life · Carter Burwell2:12
  24. 24Gathering in Snow · Carter Burwell2:46
  25. 25She Is Not Immortal · Carter Burwell0:55
  26. 26Reading Edward · Carter Burwell0:56
  27. 27Magnifica · Carter Burwell1:11
  28. 28Irina Loses Her Head · Carter Burwell2:52
  29. 29Aro's Oration · Carter Burwell2:44
  30. 30A Kick in the Head · Carter Burwell1:03
  31. 31Exacueret Nostri Dentes in Filia · Carter Burwell1:45
  32. 32Chasing Renesmee · Carter Burwell1:20
  33. 33A Crack in the Earth · Carter Burwell2:25
  34. 34Aro's End · Carter Burwell1:53
  35. 35That's Your Future · Carter Burwell0:53
  36. 36Such a Prize · Carter Burwell3:25
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack album cover

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Soundtrack album · Atlantic · November 13, 2012 · 14 tracks

Cover art via Deezer

Full tracklist

  1. 1Where I Come From · Passion Pit3:40
  2. 2Bittersweet · Ellie Goulding3:56
  3. 3The Forgotten · Green Day4:58
  4. 4Fire in the Water · Feist2:31
  5. 5Everything and Nothing · The Boom Circuits4:24
  6. 6The Antidote · St. Vincent3:39
  7. 7Speak Up · POP ETC4:40
  8. 8Heart of Stone · Iko3:53
  9. 9Cover Your Tracks · A Boy and His Kite4:32
  10. 10Ghosts · James Vincent McMorrow3:45
  11. 11All I’ve Ever Needed · Paul McDonald, Nikki Reed3:56
  12. 12New for You · Reeve Carney3:09
  13. 13A Thousand Years, Pt. 2 · Christina Perri, Steve Kazee5:06
  14. 14Plus que ma propre vie · Carter Burwell4:16

Songs in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2

  1. A Thousand Years, Pt. 2

    Written for the film

    Christina Perri, Steve Kazee

    It plays over the film's closing scene and then over the end credits.

  2. Where I Come From

    Licensed song

    Passion Pit

    It plays as Bella wakes after her transformation.

  3. Heart of Stone

    Licensed song

    Iko

    It plays as Edward and Bella talk in the cottage after finding Alice's note.

More songs in the film

  • The Forgotten · Green Day Licensed song
  • Bittersweet · Ellie Goulding Licensed song
  • The Antidote · St. Vincent Licensed song
  • Fire in the Water · Feist Licensed song
  • Ghosts · James Vincent McMorrow Licensed song
  • All I've Ever Needed · Paul McDonald, Nikki Reed Licensed song
  • New for You · Reeve Carney Licensed song
  • Speak Up · POP ETC Licensed song
  • Cover Your Tracks · A Boy and His Kite Licensed song

Sources: musicbrainz.org, themoviedb.org, en.wikipedia.org, songfacts.com

Twilight soundtrack

Breaking Dawn Part 2 Plot Summary (Spoilers)Spoilers

The full plot of Breaking Dawn Part 2 turns on a confrontation in the snow between the Cullens and the Volturi, and it resolves through a vision rather than a fight. Everything below gives away the ending.

Bella adjusts to vampire life and learns that she can keep her thirst under control. Her first burst of anger over Jacob's bond with Renesmee fades, and she accepts it. The Cullens then learn that Irina has told the Volturi that Renesmee is an immortal child, a kind of vampire that is forbidden because it cannot be controlled. Alice sees a vision of the Volturi coming and leaves, while the rest of the family decides to gather vampire friends from around the world to stand as witnesses that Renesmee is no threat.

While the allies arrive, Bella discovers that her mental shield can be stretched to protect other people from vampire powers, and she trains to use it. The Volturi, led by Aro and backed by a large army, arrive in the snowy fields near Forks. The Cullens and their allies face them, and Irina is put to death for her mistake. Aro still hopes to take Renesmee and provoke a fight, so the tension rises until a battle begins.

In that battle Carlisle, Jasper and several others fall, and Bella's shield is pushed to its limit. Then the scene turns out to be a vision that Alice shows Aro, and it makes clear the Volturi would lose heavily. Alice's last witness, a half human, half vampire man, proves that Renesmee is no danger, and the Volturi back down and leave. Alice glimpses a future in which Renesmee and Jacob are together, and Bella finally lets Edward see her memories.

Breaking Dawn Part 2 Premiere and Release Date

Breaking Dawn Part 2 premiered on November 12, 2012 at the Nokia Theatre (L.A. Live) in Los Angeles, and it opened in US theaters four days later on November 16, 2012. ABC News covered the premiere as a celebration for fans of the series.

The release dates differ slightly by country. The US and UK openings were both November 16, 2012, and Australia followed a day earlier on November 15, 2012. Box Office Mojo lists the earliest release as November 14, 2012, in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

The opening weekend was large. Studio estimates reported by Fox News put the domestic opening at about $141.3 million from 4,070 theaters, ahead of Skyfall, with $199.6 million overseas. The film finished with $293 million domestically and $596 million internationally, for $889 million worldwide on a $120 million budget. That makes it the highest grossing of the five films, as well as the most expensive. For the complete numbers across the series, see twilight box office.

Breaking Dawn Part 2 Ending Explained: The Vision and the MeadowSpoilers

The ending of Breaking Dawn Part 2 shows that the Volturi back down without a fight, because Alice's vision makes the cost of attacking clear to Aro. Spoilers follow.

The film sets up a battle and then reveals it as a vision that Alice shows Aro. In the vision, Carlisle, Jasper and several others fall, and Bella's shield is pushed to its limit. Aro sees that the Volturi would also lose heavily, and with Alice's final witness, a half human, half vampire man, proving that Renesmee is no danger, the Volturi withdraw and leave. In my opinion, the trick is a smart way to deliver the scale of a war movie while keeping the family intact, and it could be argued that it pays off Bella's shield training in a more interesting way than a straight fight would have done. Perhaps some viewers feel cheated by it.

The Jacob and Renesmee thread is resolved in the final moments. Alice glimpses a future in which Renesmee is grown and happily together with Jacob, with Bella and Edward looking on. That vision is all the ending offers, so the honest answer to whether Jacob ends up marrying Renesmee is that the movie only promises that the two are together.

The last scene is in the meadow, where Bella drops her shield so Edward can see her memories of their life together. They affirm their love, and the story closes on the couple. There is no cliffhanger, because this is the final film of the series. Compared with Twilight (2008), in which Bella spent much of the story as a human the vampires protected, the finale gives her the strongest power in the room, and I think that shift is the real payoff of her arc. For how the films differ from the novels, see twilight books vs movies.

Where Was Breaking Dawn Part 2 Filmed?

Breaking Dawn Part 2 was filmed mainly in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with additional photography in New Orleans, Louisiana, and in Vancouver, Canada. Principal photography took place in Baton Rouge, including at Raleigh Studios.

The two Breaking Dawn films were shot together, with principal photography running from November 1, 2010 to April 22, 2011. The Business Report in Baton Rouge reported that local filming for both parts wrapped around February 2011 after about four months.

A short round of reshoots followed in April 2012, bringing back Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart for technical fill in shots, with no new scenes or dialogue.

Breaking Dawn Part 2 Trivia

The best known piece of trivia about Breaking Dawn Part 2 is that baby Renesmee was nearly a puppet, and the facts here cover the production, the box office and the series around it.

An animatronic toddler Renesmee, nicknamed Chuckesmee, was built by Legacy Effects but was dropped after a test shoot, and a CGI baby was used instead. Mackenzie Foy played Renesmee, and her face was digitally mapped onto other performers who played the character at different ages, according to Bustle.

The film is the shortest of the five at 115 minutes, and it has the biggest budget, at $120 million. It also took the largest worldwide gross of the series.

In Australia, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 was classified MA15+, while this film was classified M, a lighter rating that makes it easier to share with a younger family.

The animated series Twilight: Midnight Sun is television, not a film. Netflix gave it a straight to series order in September 2024, and as of the last report it was in development with no release date and no cast, according to the Deseret News. For the state of any future film, see new twilight movie, and for every release in the saga see twilight movies in order.

Facts

FAQs

When was Twilight Breaking Dawn Part 2 released?

Breaking Dawn Part 2 was released in the US and UK on November 16, 2012, and in Australia on November 15, 2012. It premiered in Los Angeles on November 12, 2012, and Box Office Mojo lists an earlier opening of November 14, 2012 in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Did Jacob end up marrying Renesmee?

In the final minutes, Alice glimpses a future in which Renesmee is grown and happily together with Jacob, with Bella and Edward looking on. That vision is all the ending offers, so the movie promises only that the two are a couple.

Where can I watch Twilight Breaking Dawn Part 2 in Australia?

In Australia, Breaking Dawn Part 2 streams on Stan as of November 3, 2026. It can also be rented or bought from Apple TV, Amazon Video, YouTube and Fetch TV, and rented from the JustWatch TV Store, according to JustWatch via TMDB. In the US it is on Netflix, and in the UK on Netflix, HBO Max, ITVX Premium and Now TV Cinema, with free options with ads on Tubi and ITVX. Availability changes, so check the listing before you plan a night around it. The where to watch twilight page has the full country table.

Who dies in Breaking Dawn Part 2?

Spoiler warning: Irina is put to death by the Volturi for misreading Renesmee as an immortal child. The large battle in which Carlisle, Jasper and several others fall is a vision that Alice shows Aro, so those characters survive, and the Volturi leave without fighting.

Is there a post credit scene in Breaking Dawn Part 2?

No post credit scene has been confirmed. The end credits instead run a montage of archival appearances by cast members from the earlier films, set to a duet version of Christina Perri's A Thousand Years.

What is Breaking Dawn Part 2 rated and how long is it?

Breaking Dawn Part 2 is rated PG-13 in the US, 12A in the UK and M in Australia, and it runs 115 minutes. It is the shortest of the five Twilight films.