Night at the Museum (franchise)
Night at the Museum is an American media franchise of fantasy-comedy films based on the children's book The Night at the Museum by Milan Trenc, are directed by Shawn Levy and written by Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon. Starring Ben Stiller as a museum night security guard named Larry Daley, the films also star an ensemble cast featuring Robin Williams, Owen Wilson, Ricky Gervais, Steve Coogan, Patrick Gallagher, Rami Malek, Mizuo Peck, Mickey Rooney, Bill Cobbs, and Dick Van Dyke.
| Night at the Museum | |
|---|---|
 Franchise logo | |
| Created by | Milan Trenc |
| Original work | The Night at the Museum (1993) |
| Owner | 20th Century Studios (The Walt Disney Company) |
| Print publications | |
| Book(s) |
|
| Novel(s) | Night at the Museum: The Junior Novelization (2006) |
| Films and television | |
| Film(s) |
|
| Television series | Night at the Museum (TBA) |
| Theatrical presentations | |
| Musical(s) | Night at the Museum (TBA) |
FilmsEdit
Night at the Museum (2006)Edit
When Larry Daley (Ben Stiller), a divorced father who was having trouble finding a job, applies for a job at the American Museum of Natural History, he is assigned as a night guard. However, a seemingly easy job turns out to be a wild ride when he finds that an ancient spell has caused the exhibits of the museum to come to life.
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009)Edit
Three years after the previous film, several of the exhibits are transferred to the Smithsonian in Washington, DC, and Dexter the monkey steals the tablet of Ahkmenrah. Larry must break in and team up with his old friends, and new ally Amelia Earheart, to get it back from Ahkmenrah's resurrected evil older brother Kahmunrah before morning.
Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014)Edit
Five years after the previous film, Larry discovers that the tablet of Ahkmenrah's magic is failing. He and his now-teenage son Nick, along with Teddy Roosevelt, Sacagawea, Jedediah, Octavius, Dexter, Attila the Hun, and a new caveman figure named Laaa (who looks like Larry) travel to a fictional version of the British Museum in London to undo the curse, with the help of Ahkmenrah's parents and the narcissistic Sir Lancelot of Camelot, before the tablet's magic disappears forever.
FutureEdit
Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again (2022)Edit
In August 2019, following the purchase of 21st Century Fox and its assets by Disney, The Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger announced that a reboot of Night at the Museum is in development. The project will release as a Disney+ exclusive film.[1][2]
In October 2020, the film was officially titled Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again. The project will be CGI-animated.[3] The plot centers around Larry's son, Nick, who is hesitant to follow on his father's footsteps as nightwatchman.[3] In addition to Nick and the titular villain, the movie will also feature returning characters: Jedediah, Octavius, Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt; with the addition of Joan of Arc as well. Production began on November 2, 2020.[3] Shawn Levy will serve as executive producer. By August of 2021, the film was two-thirds of the way completed, and was announced to be scheduled for a 2022 release on Disney+.[4]
Potential projectsEdit
In August 2018, CEO of 20th Century Fox Stacey Snider announced that a television series based on Night at the Museum was in development.[5] Following the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney, many of Fox's projects were shelved.
Stage musicalEdit
On April 2, 2020, composer Alan Menken revealed that he is working in a stage musical adaptation of Night at the Museum.[6] On September 11, 2020, Night at the Museum director Shawn Levy revealed that he is also working on the musical, which has been in development for "a year and a half" by that point.[7] Work on the musical had to be done remotely through Zoom due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[7]
Main cast and charactersEdit
This section shows characters who will appear or have appeared in the series.
- An empty, dark grey cell indicates the character was not in the film, or that the character's official presence has not yet been confirmed.
- E indicates an appearance not included in the theatrical cut.
- V indicates a voice-only role.
- Y indicates a younger version of the character.
Additional crew and production detailsEdit
| Film | Director | Producer(s) | Writer(s) | Composer | Cinematographer | Editor(s) | Production companies | Distributor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Night at the Museum | Shawn Levy | Shawn Levy Chris Columbus Michael Barnathan |
Thomas Lennon Robert Ben Garant |
Alan Silvestri | Guillermo Navarro | Don Zimmerman | 20th Century Fox 21 Laps Entertainment 1492 Pictures |
20th Century Fox |
| Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian | John Schwartzman | Don Zimmerman Dean Zimmerman |
20th Century Fox 21 Laps Entertainment 1492 Pictures Dune Entertainment | |||||
| Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb | David Guion Michael Handelman |
Guillermo Navarro | Dean Zimmerman | 20th Century Fox 21 Laps Entertainment 1492 Pictures TSG Entertainment | ||||
| Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again | TBA | 20th Century Studios 20th Century Animation 21 Laps Entertainment 1492 Pictures Alibaba Pictures |
Disney+ | |||||
In other mediaEdit
Ridley Jones, an animated series from Netflix meant for children by producer Chris Nee, was released on July 13, 2021. It is part of a slate of animated preschool series on the streaming service, with others including Spirit Rangers, Dino Daycare, and Ada Twist, Scientist, of which Nee is the showrunner.[8] Despite the show being unrelated to the franchise, Ridley Jones features multiple similarities with Night at the Museum, including key elements in its character cast, setting, and general plot.
ReceptionEdit
Box officeEdit
| Title | U.S. release date | Budget | Box office gross | Box office ranking | Ref. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opening weekend (North America) |
North America | Other territories | Worldwide | All time North America |
All time Worldwide | ||||
| Night at the Museum | December 22, 2006 | $110 million | $30,433,781 | $250,863,268 | $323,617,573 | $574,480,841 | #100 | #123 | [9] |
| Battle of the Smithsonian | May 22, 2009 | $150 million | $54,173,286 | $177,243,721 | $235,862,449 | $413,106,170 | #221 | #220 | [10] |
| Secret of the Tomb | December 19, 2014 | $127 million | $17,100,520 | $113,746,621 | $249,458,014 | $363,204,635 | #516 | #272 | [11] |
| Totals | $387 million | $101,707,587 | $541,853,610 | $808,938,036 | $1,350,791,646 | [12] | |||
Critical and public responseEdit
All three films have received mixed reviews from critics.
| Film | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | CinemaScore |
|---|---|---|---|
| Night at the Museum | 43% (136 reviews)[13] | 48 (28 reviews)[14] | A-[15] |
| Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian | 45% (167 reviews)[16] | 42 (31 reviews)[17] | B+[15] |
| Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb | 47% (112 reviews)[18] | 47 (33 reviews)[19] | B+[15] |
See alsoEdit
ReferencesEdit
- ^ "'Home Alone,' 'Night at the Museum' to Be Rebooted at Disney+". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ Hayes, Dade; Hipes, Patrick (August 7, 2019). "Disney+ To Revive 'Home Alone', 'Night At The Museum', More As Part Of Fox Reset".
- ^ a b c Exclusive: Details on The Disney+ Animated Movie 'Night At The Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again'
- ^ Weintraub, David (August 5, 2021). "Shawn Levy on the 'Night at the Museum' Animated Movie, 'Shadow and Bone' Season 2, and the Future of 'I Am Not Okay With This'". Collider. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
- ^ Paz, Maggie Dela (August 10, 2018). "Fox Developing Wimpy Kid, Ice Age, and Night at the Museum TV Shows". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved August 11, 2018.
- ^ Talk Back with Alan Menken (2020)
- ^ a b ‘Night at the Museum’ director teases another sequel — and a Broadway musical
- ^ Halcombe, Daniel (October 15, 2020). "Chris Nee Unveils First Slate of Netflix Animated Preschool Series for Kids Around the World" (Press release). United States: Netflix. Archived from the original on December 30, 2020. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
- ^ "Night at the Museum (2006)". Box Office Mojo.
- ^ "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009)". Box Office Mojo.
- ^ "Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014)". Box Office Mojo.
- ^ "Night at the Museum franchise". boxofficemojo.com. IMDB. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
- ^ "Night at the Museum". rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
- ^ "Night at the Museum". metacritic.com. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
- ^ a b c "Cinemascore". Cinemascore.com. CinemaScore. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
- ^ "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian". rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
- ^ "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian". metacritic.com. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
- ^ "Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb". rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
- ^ "Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb". metacritic.com. Retrieved February 8, 2015.