May 27 2009
Memorial Day Weekend Box Office
The Memorial Day weekend came to a close with Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian the clear winner. Despite mixed reviews, the Ben Stiller vehicle took in $70 million dollars, with the fourth installment of the Terminator franchise, Terminator: Salvation, coming in second with a lower than expected $51.9 million. The Night at the Museum sequel has fared better than the original, which isn’t unusual for the opening weekend of a sequel, while the Terminator film is just about neck in neck with it’s predecessor, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. The success of Museum is likely due to the fact that it’s the first big family film of the season. Terminator was up against tougher odds as it was in direct competition with the new Star Trek film, and it was the first in the series without the California governor who made the franchise famous.
Despite the global recession, movie theatres are still seeing large crowds, and the Memorial Day weekend numbers were only slightly below last year’s. Thus far, 2009 is faring better than last year. As we head into summer blockbuster season, studios will be anxiously watching the numbers.
