Weekend of May 22 – 24, 2009

“Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian” outran its competition at the North American box office this weekend with $53.5 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Shawn Levy’s sequel to the 2006 hit family adventure stars Ben Stiller as a former museum security guard who heads to the Smithsonian to rescue his pals from the hands of a ruthless Egyptian leader. The film pulled $23.1 million more during opening weekend than its predecessor.

At No. 2, McG’s “Terminator Salvation” debuted with $43 million ($56.3 million total gross). The fourth installment in the popular “Terminator” series stars Christian Bale as John Connor, who leads the human resistance in the battle against the machines in the year 2018.

Meanwhile, J.J. Abrams’ “Star Trek” slipped to third place, earning $21.9 million and reaching a domestic total of $183.5 million. Following closely in fourth place was Ron Howard’s “Angels & Demons,” which picked up $21.4 million for a cume of $81.5 million after two weeks in release.

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Weekend of May 15 – 17, 2009

Ron Howard’s “Angels & Demons” topped the North American box office with $48 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The latest big-screen adaptation of one of Dan Brown’s popular novels struggled to beat J.J. Abrams’ “Star Trek,” which came in close second with another $43 million this weekend. The sci-fi reboot’s domestic total currently stands at $147.6 million.

In “Angels,” Tom Hanks reprises his role as Robert Langdon, who heads to the Vatican to solve a murder and help prevent a ruthless terrorist attack. The film scored $29 million less during opening weekend than its predecessor, “The Da Vinci Code.”

At No. 3, Gavin Hood’s “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” collected $14.8 million, lifting its total haul to $151 million after three weeks in release. The film’s domestic gross already passed its estimated $150 million budget.

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Weekend of May 8 - 10, 2009

Moviegoers beamed J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek" reboot to the No. 1 spot at the North American box office with a solid $72.5 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Eric Bana, Bruce Greenwood, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana and Simon Pegg, among others, "Trek" lifted its early domestic total to $76.5 million (counting revenues from Thursday's evening screenings).

Last week's box office winner "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" dropped to second place, earning $27 million. Directed by Gavin Hood and starring Hugh Jackman, Danny Huston and Liev Schreiber, the film brought its total haul to $129.6 million after two weeks in theaters.

At No. 3, Mark Waters' comedy "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" collected another $10.4 million, reaching a cumulative gross of $30.2 million. Beyonce Knowles' thriller "Obsessed" followed in fourth place with a weekend gross of $6.6 million and a cume of $56.2 million.

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Weekend of May 1 – May 3, 2009

“X-Men Origins: Wolverine” slashed its competition at the North American box office with a strong $87 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Released by 20th Century Fox, the Gavin Hood-directed action spectacle scored an average of $21,225 per theater at 4,099 locations.

Starring Hugh Jackman in the title role, the film follows Wolverine as he seeks revenge against the evil-minded Victor Creed (Live Schreiber) and William Stryker (Danny Huston).

Debuting in second place with $15.3 million was Mark Waters’ latest romantic comedy “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past,” which stars Matthew McConaughey as a celeb photographer who’s visited by three ghosts during the weekend of his brother’s wedding.

Last week’s box office champion “Obsessed” slipped to No. 3, pulling $12.2 million and reaching a domestic total of $47 million after two weeks in release. The thriller directed by Steve Shill stars Idris Elba, Ali Larter and Beyonce Knowles.

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"X-Men Origins: Wolverine" delivered a stunning debut at the North American box office Friday with an estimated $35 million in ticket sales.

Released by 20th Century Fox, the Gavin Hood-directed prequel opened at 4,099 locations, scoring an average of $8,539 per theater. Hugh Jackman returns to reprise his role as Wolverine, who seeks revenge against Victor Creed (Liev Schreiber) and William Stryker (Danny Huston).

Debuting in second place with a daily gross of $5.8 million was Mark Waters' latest comedy "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past," which stars Matthew McConaughey as a celeb photographer who's visited by three ghosts while attending his brother's wedding.

Last week's winner "Obsessed" dropped to No. 3, scoring another $4.1 million for a total of $38.9 million after one week in release. Following in fourth place with $1.9 million was Zac Efron's comedy "17 Again," which brought its domestic total to $44.1 million.

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Weekend of April 24 – 26, 2009

Beyoncé Knowles' thriller "Obsessed" defeated its competition at the North American box office with $28.5 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

In the film directed by Steve Shill, Idris Elba co-stars as a successful asset manager who gets into trouble with his wife (Knowles) when his new temp (Ali Larter) starts stalking him.

At No. 2, last week’s box office winner “17 Again” collected another $11.6 million, lifting its domestic total to $39.9 million. Starring Zac Efron, the comedy follows a 37-year-old who gets to relive his past as a 17-year-old.

New release “Fighting” debuted in third place with $11.4 million. Directed by Dito Montiel, the drama follows Channing Tatum in the role of a poor chap trying to score big in the world of underground street fighting.

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Beyoncé Knowles' thriller "Obsessed" topped the North American box office Friday with a surprising $11.1 million in ticket sales. Directed by Steve Shill, the film follows a successful asset manager whose life takes a turn for the worse when his new temp starts stalking him.

Debuting in second place with $4.4 million was Dito Montiel's "Fighting," which stars Channing Tatum as a poor chap trying to make moola in the world of street fighting.

At No. 3, last week's box office champion "17 Again" pulled in $3.8 million, lifting its total gross to $32.1 million after two weeks in release. Zac Efron stars in the film about a 37-year-old who gets to relive his past as a 17-year-old.

Joe Wright's "The Soloist," the weekend's third major release, finished fourth with a daily gross of $3.2 million. Robert Downey Jr. stars as a newspaper columnist building a special friendship with a homeless musician (Jamie Foxx).

Meanwhile, Disney Nature's "Earth," which opened Wednesday, took home $2.9 million for a domestic total of $8.5 million.

Source: Box Office Mojo (www.boxofficemojo.com)