“Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian” had to slug it out with another new film, “Terminator Salvation,” for the top spot at the Memorial Day holiday weekend Box Office. “Terminator Salvation” got off to a fast start with screenings on Thursday, while the second “Night at the Museum” movie opened on Friday. Still, the family-friendly fantasy clobbered the high-tech futuristic sci-fi drama. “Night at the Museum” raked in an estimated four-day total of $70 million, to become the number one movie in the nation.
“Terminator Salvation” had to settle for second with around $53.8 million over the long holiday weekend. This fourth installment of the popular sci-fi action series takes place in 2018 during a war between the humans and the high-tech machines. The film stars Christian Bale and Sam Worthington. A lot of head scratching from the experts on why the “Terminator” got decked by the comedy-fantasy. Some reports say there has been a glut of sci-fi films at theaters recently and moviegoers were looking for change. Also, I’ve heard this “Terminator” has lot of action, but not much heart.
Meanwhile in “Night at the Museum: Battle at the Smithsonian,” like its predecessor, historical exhibits and characters come to life. Ben Stiller stars as the ex-security guard/now successful inventor. The first “Museum” adventure took place in the Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C. The setting for the sequel is the Smithsonian.
After three weeks, the latest “Star Trek” movie is still flying high. It earned an estimated $29.4 million over the four-day holiday weekend for third, followed by the thriller “Angels & Demons” with $27.7 million and rounding out the top five, the Wayans brothers’ new dance film spoof, “Dance Flick” with $13.1 million.
