#1 of 14 #1 action movie of May 2009
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009)
2009 · Action, Adventure
$413.1M worldwide · 26% of the chart's total
$177.2M US & Canada · 43% $235.9M elsewhere · 57%
Action box office · May 2009
Action Box Office, May 2009: Top-Grossing Releases
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009) is the highest-grossing action movie released in May 2009, with $413.1M worldwide, ahead of Star Trek (2009) at $385.7M and X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) at $373.1M. 14 action films released in May 2009 report a worldwide gross, $1.6B in all, 49% of it from the US & Canada. 4 films crossed $100 million; none reached $1 billion. That is up 194% on April 2009, whose releases took $543.2M. By language, English leads with $1.6B across 9 action releases.
- May 2009 releases with a gross
- 14
- combined worldwide
- $1.6B
- films crossed $100M
- 4
- vs April 2009
- +194%
#1 of 14 Top 5
What Were the Biggest Action Hits of May 2009?
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009) leads with $413.1M, 26% of the total. The top 5 together took $1.6B, 99% of what all 14 films earned. Each bar splits a film's gross into the US & Canada and the rest of the world.
- Number 1 $413.1M Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009)$177.2M US & Canada · 43% $235.9M elsewhere · 57%
-
Number 2 -
Number 3 -
Number 4 -
Number 5
US & Canada (domestic) Rest of the world
The chart
Every Action Release of May 2009, Ranked by Worldwide Gross
Lifetime worldwide grosses in US dollars, not adjusted for inflation; domestic means the US & Canada. Films are grouped by their release date in May 2009.
- 1 Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009)May 22, 2009 US and Canada: $177.2M Rest of the world: $235.9M Worldwide: $413.1M
May 22, 2009 · English · Action, Adventure, Fantasy $413.1M worldwide - 2 May 7, 2009 US and Canada: $257.7M Rest of the world: $128M Worldwide: $385.7M
- 3 May 1, 2009 US and Canada: $179.9M Rest of the world: $193.2M Worldwide: $373.1M
- 4 May 21, 2009 US and Canada: $125.3M Rest of the world: $246M Worldwide: $371.4M
- 5 May 22, 2009 US and Canada: $25.7M Rest of the world: $5.8M Worldwide: $31.4M
- 6
May 8, 2009 US and Canada: $10M Rest of the world: $145.5K Worldwide: $10.2M - 7
Super Kamen Rider Den-O & Decade NEO Generations: The Onigashima Warship (2009)May 1, 2009 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $7.5M
May 1, 2009 · Japanese · Action, Sci-Fi, Adventure $7.5M worldwide - 8
May 7, 2009 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $690.7K - 9
May 1, 2009 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $493.5K - 10
First Squad: The Moment of Truth (2009)May 13, 2009 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $292.4K
May 13, 2009 · Russian · Action, Animation, Sci-Fi $292.4K worldwide - 11
May 26, 2009 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $220.9K - 12
May 15, 2009 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $134.8K - 13
May 29, 2009 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $104.8K - 14
May 1, 2009 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $40.1K
US & Canada vs the world
Where Did the Money Come From in May 2009?
Of the top 10, Next Day Air (2009) earned the biggest share at home (99% in the US & Canada), while Terminator Salvation (2009) made 66% of its gross abroad. Across all 14 films, $775.9M (49%) came from the US & Canada. 4 films of the top 10 report no US & Canada figure.
- 1 Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009) $413.1M $177.2M US & Canada · 43% $235.9M elsewhere · 57%
- 2 Star Trek (2009) $385.7M $257.7M US & Canada · 67% $128M elsewhere · 33%
- 3 X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) $373.1M $179.9M US & Canada · 48% $193.2M elsewhere · 52%
- 4 Terminator Salvation (2009) $371.4M $125.3M US & Canada · 34% $246M elsewhere · 66%
- 5 Dance Flick (2009) $31.4M $25.7M US & Canada · 82% $5.8M elsewhere · 18%
- 6 Next Day Air (2009) $10.2M $10M US & Canada · 99% $145.5K elsewhere · 1%
- 7 Super Kamen Rider Den-O & Decade NEO Generations: The Onigashima Warship (2009) $7.5M No US & Canada figure reported
- 8 Newsmakers (2009) $690.7K No US & Canada figure reported
- 9 The Tournament (2009) $493.5K No US & Canada figure reported
- 10 First Squad: The Moment of Truth (2009) $292.4K No US & Canada figure reported
Gross bands
How Many May 2009 Releases Crossed $100 Million?
4 of 14 films crossed $100M and took $1.5B between them, 97% of the total. 8 films, 57% of the list, earned under $10M.
97%
- $1B or more 0 films, 0% of the list No films
- $500M to $1B 0 films, 0% of the list No films
- $100M to $500M 4 films, 29% of the list $1.5B · 97% of the gross
- $10M to $100M 2 films, 14% of the list $41.6M · 3% of the gross
- Under $10M 8 films, 57% of the list $9.5M · <1% of the gross
By release week
Which Week of May 2009 Had the Biggest Releases?
Films released in week 21 (May 17–23) took $815.9M, led by Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009). Each column links to that week's chart; weeks are Sunday to Saturday.
- Week 18 Wk 18 Apr 26–May 2 X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) $381.1M X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
- Week 19 Wk 19 May 3–9 Star Trek (2009) $396.5M Star Trek (2009)
- Week 20 Wk 20 May 10–16 First Squad: The Moment of Truth (2009) $427.1K First Squad: The Moment of Truth (2009)
- Week 21 Wk 21 May 17–23 Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009) $815.9M Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009)
- Week 22 Wk 22 May 24–30 The Devil’s Tomb (2009) $325.7K The Devil’s Tomb (2009)
- Week 23 Wk 23 May 31–Jun 6 No reported grosses – No reported grosses
Earlier years
How Does May 2009 Compare With May in Earlier Years?
Of these 10 years, May 2007 earned the most: $2B from 11 films, led by Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007). May 2009 took $1.6B.
| Month | Films | Worldwide | Change | Biggest film |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2000 4 films | 4 | $1.1B | – | Mission: Impossible II (2000) $546.4M |
| May 2001 6 films · −11% | 6 | $1B | −11% | Pearl Harbor (2001) $449.2M |
| May 2002 11 films · +70% | 11 | $1.7B | +70% | Spider-Man (2002) $825.8M |
| May 2003 8 films · −20% | 8 | $1.4B | −20% | The Matrix Reloaded (2003) $741.8M |
| May 2004 7 films · −2% | 7 | $1.4B | −2% | The Day After Tomorrow (2004) $552.6M |
| May 2005 10 films · −11% | 10 | $1.2B | −11% | Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) $905.6M |
| May 2006 10 films · −6% | 10 | $1.1B | −6% | X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) $460.4M |
| May 2007 11 films · +75% | 11 | $2B | +75% | Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007) $961.7M |
| May 2008 13 films · −3% | 13 | $1.9B | −3% | Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) $786.6M |
| May 2009 14 films · −16% | 14 | $1.6B | −16% | Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009) $413.1M |
By language
Which Languages Do the Biggest Action Movies Speak in May 2009?
English-language action films took $1.6B across 9 films, 99% of the total, ahead of Japanese-language action films ($7.5M) and Russian-language action films ($983.1K).
May 2009 Action Box Office by Language
Archive
Action Box Office in 2009, Month by Month
The months of 2009 with their totals: December leads with $3.5B, led by Avatar (2009).
- January $518.1M #1 Taken (2009)
- February $169.7M #1 The International (2009)
- March $819.4M #1 Monsters vs Aliens (2009)
- April $543.2M #1 Fast & Furious (2009)
- May $1.6B #1 Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009)
- June $1B #1 Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
- July $2.2B #1 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
- August $572.7M #1 G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009)
- September $266.6M #1 Surrogates (2009)
- October $212.6M #1 Zombieland (2009)
- November $1B #1 2012 (2009)
- December $3.5B #1 Avatar (2009)
FAQ
Action Box Office May 2009: Questions & Answers
The chart's numbers in short: the #1 film, the total, the billion-dollar hits and the US & Canada share, answered from the same 14 films as the chart.
What is the highest-grossing action movie in May 2009?
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009) leads with $413.1M worldwide, $177.2M of it in the US & Canada. Next come Star Trek (2009) at $385.7M and X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) at $373.1M.
How much did action movies released in May 2009 earn?
14 action films released in May 2009 report a worldwide gross, $1.6B in all, or $113.9M per film on average. April 2009 releases took $543.2M.
How many action movies released in May 2009 made $1 billion?
None. 4 films crossed $100 million, led by Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009) with $413.1M.
How is the May 2009 action box office chart ranked and where do the numbers come from?
Films are ranked by lifetime worldwide gross in US dollars, not adjusted for inflation, and grouped by their release date in May 2009. The figures are the reported box office grosses in our database. A gross that looks misattributed, such as one figure shared by two unrelated films or a blockbuster total on an obscure title, is left out rather than shown as a fact.
How often is the May 2009 action box office chart updated?
Grosses change while films are in theaters and whenever a new figure is reported; this chart reads the latest numbers in our database, so an older film can still move after a re-release.