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 [...]

Beyonce’s OBSESSED at the Top of the Box Office

Beyoncé Knowles‘ Obsessed defeated its competition at the North American box office with $28.5 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.
In the Steve Shill-directed thriller, Idris Elba co-stars as a successful asset manager who gets into trouble with his wife (Knowles) when his new temp (Ali Larter) starts stalking him.

At No. 2, last week’s box office winner 17 Again collected another $11.6 million, lifting its domestic total to $39.9 million. Starring Zac Efron, the comedy follows a 37-year-old who gets to relive his past as a 17-year-old.

New release Fighting debuted in third place with $11.4 million. Directed by Dito Montiel, the drama follows Channing Tatum [...]

Zac Efron’s 17 AGAIN at the Top of the Box Office

Zac Efron’s latest teen comedy, 17 Again, beat the competition at the North American box office this weekend with $24 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.
Directed by Burr Steers, the film follows a 37-year-old man who despises his existence and gets to relive his past as a 17-year-old. Leslie Mann, Thomas Lennon and Michelle Trachtenberg co-star.

Debuting in second place with $14 million was Kevin Macdonald’s thriller State of Play, which stars Russell Crowe as a print journalist who launched his own investigation into the murder of a congressman’s assistant. Ben Affleck, Helen Mirren and Rachel McAdams round out the lead cast.

Things didn’t turned out as well [...]

Golden Globes 2009: Tom Cruise, Leonardo DiCaprio, Zac Efron

Photos: © HFPA / 66th Golden Globe® Awards

Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Cruise © HFPA / 66th Golden Globe® Awards

Hayden Panettiere, Zac Efron © HFPA / 66th Golden Globe® Awards

Don Cheadle © HFPA / 66th Golden Globe® Awards

HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3 Dances to the Top of the Box Office

Walt Disney’s High School Musical 3: Senior Year took center stage at the North American box office this weekend with an impressive US$42 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.
The third installment in the popular series opened at 3,623 locations Friday, easily dominating its competition all weekend long. Starring Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens, the musical follows Troy and his gang as they gear up to graduate from high school and prep for college.

Debuting in second place with $30.5 million was David Hackl’s horror sequel Saw V, which almost matched its predecessor’s opening weekend gross of $31.7 million. The blood-laden film follows a detective who tries to [...]