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Fantasy box office · May 2009

Fantasy Box Office, May 2009: Top-Grossing Releases

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009) is the highest-grossing fantasy movie released in May 2009, with $413.1M worldwide, ahead of X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) at $373.1M and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009) at $102.4M. 5 fantasy films released in May 2009 report a worldwide gross, $890M in all, 46% of it from the US & Canada. 3 films crossed $100 million; none reached $1 billion. That is 16 times the total of April 2009, whose releases took $55.7M. By language, English leads with $888.5M across 3 fantasy releases.

May 2009 releases with a gross
5
combined worldwide
$890M
films crossed $100M
3
vs April 2009
×16
Top 5

What Were the Biggest Fantasy Hits of May 2009?

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009) leads with $413.1M, 46% of the total. The top 5 together took $890M, almost all of what the 5 films earned. Each bar splits a film's gross into the US & Canada and the rest of the world.

  1. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009) movie poster Number 1
    $413.1M Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009)
    $177.2M US & Canada · 43% $235.9M elsewhere · 57%
  2. X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) movie poster Number 2
    $373.1M X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
    $179.9M US & Canada · 48% $193.2M elsewhere · 52%
  3. Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009) movie poster Number 3
    $102.4M Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009)
    $55.3M US & Canada · 54% $47.1M elsewhere · 46%
  4. Air Doll (2009) movie poster Number 4
    $1.2M Air Doll (2009)
    No US & Canada figure reported
  5. First Squad: The Moment of Truth (2009) movie poster Number 5
    $292.4K First Squad: The Moment of Truth (2009)
    No US & Canada figure reported

US & Canada (domestic) Rest of the world

The chart

Every Fantasy 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. 1 Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009) movie poster
    Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009) May 22, 2009 · English · Action, Adventure, Fantasy $413.1M worldwide
    May 22, 2009 US and Canada: $177.2M Rest of the world: $235.9M Worldwide: $413.1M
  2. 2 X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) movie poster
    X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) May 1, 2009 · English · Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller $373.1M worldwide
    May 1, 2009 US and Canada: $179.9M Rest of the world: $193.2M Worldwide: $373.1M
  3. 3 Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009) movie poster
    Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009) May 1, 2009 · English · Fantasy, Comedy, Romance $102.4M worldwide
    May 1, 2009 US and Canada: $55.3M Rest of the world: $47.1M Worldwide: $102.4M
  4. 4 Air Doll (2009) movie poster
    Air Doll (2009) May 14, 2009 · Japanese · Drama, Fantasy $1.2M worldwide
    May 14, 2009 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $1.2M
  5. 5 First Squad: The Moment of Truth (2009) movie poster
    First Squad: The Moment of Truth (2009) May 13, 2009 · Russian · Action, Animation, Sci-Fi $292.4K worldwide
    May 13, 2009 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $292.4K
US & Canada vs the world

Where Did the Money Come From in May 2009?

Of the top 5, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009) earned the biggest share at home (54% in the US & Canada), while Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009) made 57% of its gross abroad. Across all 5 films, $412.4M (46%) came from the US & Canada. 2 films of the top 5 report no US & Canada figure.

  1. 1 Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009) $413.1M
    $177.2M US & Canada · 43% $235.9M elsewhere · 57%
  2. 2 X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) $373.1M
    $179.9M US & Canada · 48% $193.2M elsewhere · 52%
  3. 3 Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009) $102.4M
    $55.3M US & Canada · 54% $47.1M elsewhere · 46%
  4. 4 Air Doll (2009) $1.2M
    No US & Canada figure reported
  5. 5 First Squad: The Moment of Truth (2009) $292.4K
    No US & Canada figure reported
By release week

Which Week of May 2009 Had the Biggest Releases?

Films released in week 18 (Apr 26–May 2) took $475.4M, led by X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009). Each column links to that week's chart; weeks are Sunday to Saturday.

  1. Week 18 Wk 18 Apr 26–May 2 X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) $475.4M X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)
  2. Week 19 Wk 19 May 3–9 No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  3. Week 20 Wk 20 May 10–16 Air Doll (2009) $1.5M Air Doll (2009)
  4. Week 21 Wk 21 May 17–23 Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009) $413.1M Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009)
  5. Week 22 Wk 22 May 24–30 No reported grosses – No reported grosses
  6. 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: $1.8B from 4 films, led by Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007). May 2009 took $890M.

Month Films Worldwide Change Biggest film
May 2000 1 film 1 $27.5M – Cirque du Soleil: Journey of Man (2000) $27.5M
May 2001 2 films · +3285% 2 $932.3M +3285% Shrek (2001) $489M
May 2002 3 films · +59% 3 $1.5B +59% Spider-Man (2002) $825.8M
May 2003 3 films · −67% 3 $485.9M −67% Bruce Almighty (2003) $484.6M
May 2004 3 films · +156% 3 $1.2B +156% Shrek 2 (2004) $932.5M
May 2005 7 films · −27% 7 $912.6M −27% Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) $905.6M
May 2006 3 films · −94% 3 $51.8M −94% Just My Luck (2006) $38.2M
May 2007 4 films · +3329% 4 $1.8B +3329% Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007) $961.7M
May 2008 2 films · −76% 2 $419.7M −76% The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008) $419.7M
May 2009 5 films · +112% 5 $890M +112% Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009) $413.1M
Archive

Fantasy Box Office in 2009, Month by Month

The months of 2009 with their totals: December leads with $3.6B, led by Avatar (2009).

FAQ

Fantasy 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 5 films as the chart.

What is the highest-grossing fantasy 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 X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) at $373.1M and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009) at $102.4M.

How much did fantasy movies released in May 2009 earn?

5 fantasy films released in May 2009 report a worldwide gross, $890M in all, or $178M per film on average. April 2009 releases took $55.7M.

How many fantasy movies released in May 2009 made $1 billion?

None. 3 films crossed $100 million, led by Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009) with $413.1M.

How much of the May 2009 Fantasy box office came from the US and Canada?

$412.4M of the $890M total, or 46%, was earned in the US & Canada (the domestic market); the rest came from other countries. 2 films of the 5 report no domestic figure.

How is the May 2009 fantasy 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 fantasy 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.