NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM Tops Box Office, TERMINATOR SALVATION in Second Place

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 stars Ben Stiller (above, with Robin Williams and Ricky Gervais) 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. The fourth installment in the popular Terminator series stars Christian Bale as John Connor, who leads the human resistance in a battle against the machines [...]

ANGELS & DEMONS #1, STAR TREK #2 at the Box Office

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 (above, top photo), which came in a close second with another $43 million this weekend. The sci-fi reboot’s domestic total currently stands at $147.6 million.
In Angels & Demons, Tom Hanks (above, lower photo, with Ayelet Zurer) reprises his role as professor Robert Langdon, who heads to the Vatican to solve a murder and help prevent a ruthless terrorist attack. The film scored $29 million less on opening weekend than its predecessor, [...]

STAR TREK Soars at the North American Box Office

Anton Yelchin, Chris Pine, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban, John Cho, Zoe Saldana in Star Trek

Moviegoers beamed up 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, Star 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, Ryan Reynolds, Taylor Kitsch, and Liev Schreiber, the film brought [...]

X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE Dominates Box Office

Online leak or no, X-Men Origins: Wolverine slashed its competition at the North American box office with a remarkable $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 (Liev Schreiber) and William Stryker (Danny Huston). Also in the cast are Ryan Reynolds and Taylor Kitsch.

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 [...]

Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber, Taylor Kitsch at X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE Premiere

Hugh Jackman, Taylor Kitsch, Liev Schreiber at the world premiere of X-Men Origins: Wolverine at Harkin’s Theaters Tempe Marketplace on April 27, 2009, in Tempe, Arizona.
Photos: Mike Moore/Getty Images for 20th Century Fox
Click on the photos to enlarge them.

Gavin Hood

Lynn Collins

Hugh Jackman

Hugh Jackman, Ryan Reynolds, Taylor Kitsch at X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE Premiere
Hugh Jackman, Alice Cooper, Ryan Reynolds at X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE Premiere
 

Hugh Jackman in X MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE Photos

From the Academy Award-winning socially conscious drama Tsotsi to the political melodrama Rendition to X Men Origins: Wolverine. No one can’t say that Gavin Hood isn’t an eclectic filmmaker.
X Men Origins: Wolverine, though leaked online, will probably turn out to be a gigantic hit.
Starring Hugh Jackman, Ryan Reynolds, Liev Schreiber, Dominic Monaghan, Lynn Collins, and Danny Huston, X Men Origins: Wolverine opens in the US on May 1.
Photos: © Twentieth Century Fox / James Fisher (Hugh Jackman image below)

 
Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana at STAR TREK Berlin Premiere
Chris Pine, Eric Bana, Zoe Saldana at STAR TREK Berlin Premiere
Reese Witherspoon at MONSTERS VS. ALIENS London Premiere
STAR TREK’s Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto’s Sydney Photo Shoot
Ben Affleck, Helen Mirren, Rachel [...]

2006 Chicago Film Critics Awards: Nominations

With nine nominations, including best film and best director (Alejandro González Iñárritu), Babel (above) seems to be the Chicago Film Critics Association’s favorite 2006 flick.
Among the other multiple nominees are The Departed and The Queen, both of which are in the running for best film and best director (Martin Scorsese and Stephen Frears, respectively).
The two biggest surprises among the Chicago critics’ list were the inclusion of Maggie Gyllenhaal and Gavin Hood’s Tsotsi.
There are six nominees for the best actress slot — I’m assuming that’s how Gyllenhaal was able to sneak in for her performance as an ex-con who discovers motherhood in the little-seen Sherrybaby. She has also been nominated for a best actress – drama Golden Globe [...]