'Night at the Museum' Wins at the Holiday Box-Office

While last weekend Will Smith was the king of the North American box-office, it seems that people really wanted to see something new over this four-day holiday weekend. So, they ditched 'The Pursuit of Happyness' for 'Night at the Museum' which thus became number one, to everyone's (including the studio's) surprise.

Starring Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson, 'Museum' is not about the Christmas holiday or its spirit, but it does have a story that seems just perfect for this occasion. Stiller is a security guard who takes a job at the museum, only to discover that all the exhibits he so carefully guards come alive at night. From here on, his nights become genuine adventures, where he has to run from dinosaurs or fight the Apache.



Opening on Friday, 'Museum' grossed an estimated $42.2 million, a statement from distributor 20th Century Fox said. 'The Pursuit of Happyness', the story of a man who becomes homeless and has to re-discover the meaning of life and the importance of family, fell to number two, with $23.1 million worth of ticket sales and a total of $61.4 million in its 10-day run.

'Rocky Balboa' lived up to the expectations, generating massive interest from the fans. Released on Wednesday and initially seen mostly by men aged between 30-40, over the weekend the famous pugilist managed to bring a much younger audience into the theaters and gross $22.1 million.

'The Good Shepherd' saga, the story of the founding of CIA, starring Matt Damon, Angelina Jolie and Robert De Niro, opened in fourth place with $13.3 million. Another newcomer this weekend was 'We Are Marshall', an inspirational sports drama starring Matthew McConaughey which, despite all expectations, failed to draw that much of an audience. It earned $8.6 million over the last four days, thus securing the seventh spot in the North American box-office.

The rest of the chart includes entries from last week: 'Charlotte's Web' (at number five), 'Eragon' (at number six), 'Happy Feet' (eight), 'The Holiday' (nine) and 'The Nativity Story' (ten).