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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J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek" landed at the No. 1 spot at the North American box office Friday with $24 million in ticket sales. Adding the $7 million the film earned from Thursday's evening screenings, its domestic total already stands at $31 million.

Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Eric Bana, Bruce Greenwood, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana and Simon Pegg star in the sci-fi blockbuster, which opened Friday at 3,849 locations. "Trek" will easily take home the weekend box office crown.

At No. 2, last week's champion "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" collected another $8.5 million, bringing its total gross to $111.1 million after only one week in theaters. Directed by Gavin Hood, the film stars Hugh Jackman in the role of Wolverine, who seeks revenge against William Stryker and Victor Creed.

Meanwhile, Mark Waters' latest romantic comedy "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" earned $3.1 million in third place, lifting its cumulative gross to $22.9 million. Following at No. 4 was "Obsessed," which took home $2 million for a total haul of $51.6 million.

"Next Day Air," this week's second wide release, finished fifth with $1.4 million. The Benny Boom-directed action comedy stars Donald Faison, Mike Epps and Mos Def.

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

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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