Family action comedy NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: BATTLE OF THE SMITHSONIAN got the top space at the Memorial Day box office (ending May 25) with $70.05 million. The Fox film, led by Ben Stiller, has vfx from CafeFX, Dac Studios, Giant Studios, Image Engine Design and Pixel Playground.
Also opening this weekend was TERMINATOR SALVATION (Warner Bros., vfx from ILM, Matte World Digital, Pixel Liberation Front, Proof, Rising Sun Pictures and Stan Winston Studio), which placed second with $51.9M.
Third place went to the three-week-old STAR TREK (Paramount, vfx by ILM, Lola Visual Effects, Evil Eye Pictures, and Svengali Visual Effects) with $29.4M, down from second place last week. The reboot has a cume of $191M.
Last week's winner, ANGELS & DEMONS, fell to fourth place with $27.4M and a two-week total of $87.5M. The Sony film features vfx from Double Negative, CIS Vancouver, The Moving Picture Co., Plowman Craven & Associates, and The Senate Visual Effects.
Spoof comedy DANCE FLICK opened in fifth place with $12.6M for Paramount (vfx from Furious FX and Lola Visual Effects).
Fox's X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE came in sixth place, earning $9.9M, but dropping only about 31 percent in its fourth week in release. With a gross of $165.2M, the film has vfx from Cinesite, Hydraulx, Image Engine Design, Lola Visual Effects, Matte World Digital, Rising Sun Pictures, Soho VFX and Vital Distraction.
Romantic comedy GHOSTS OF GIRLFRIENDS PAST (Warner Bros./New Line, vfx from CIS Hollywood and Rhythm & Hues) came in seventh place with $4.8M and in four weeks has made $46.9M.
OBSESSED (Screen Gems, vfx from Lola Visual Effects) earned $2.4M, good enough for eighth place and in five weeks has earned $66.3M.
DreamWorks Animation's MONSTERS VS. ALIENS (Paramount) brought in another $2.06M for ninth place and in nine weeks has made $193.7M.
Rounding out the top ten was comedy 17 AGAIN (Warner Bros.) with $1.29M and a six-week take of $60.6M.
In other animated films, Focus Features' CORALINE brought in another $40,369 and in 16 weeks has made $75.2M. FLY ME TO THE MOON (Summit Ent.) earned $31,289 and $13.8M in 41 weeks. BATTLE FOR TERRA from Lionsgate made $7,170 and has a four-week cume of $1.6M.
Box office information from BoxOfficeMojo.com.
-- By News Editor Annemarie Moody
