The timeless comedy climbing the Netflix charts: ‘Night at the Museum’
Whether time machines are real or not is a discussion for another day, but Netflix has its own way of turning back time. And it recently got viewers on a trip down memory lane with a classic comedy on the rise, Night at the Museum.
Although it’s officially the season of love, rom-coms are not the only kind of comedic punch fans are seeking. Instead, they’re caught in the spell of a laugh-out-loud fantasy comedy that an entire generation has grown up with, Night at the Museum.
In the week of February 2nd to February 8th, Night at the Museum, directed by Shawn Levy, amassed 3.2million views on the most popular movies chart globally, ranking seventh. In addition to its entry in the global rankings, it is a top ten title in two countries, including the US, where it holds the fifth position on the weekly charts.
Night at the Museum is currently experiencing a massive resurgence on streaming. But it’s no coincidence since Netflix recently added the entire trilogy to its library. While Netflix has influenced the revival of many such films that failed to leave a mark at the box office, that’s not the case with this blast from the past.
Night at the Museum was the fifth-highest-grossing movie of 2006, right behind Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, The Da Vinci Code, Ice Age: The Meltdown, and Casino Royale, which cashed in a staggering $574.5million against a reported budget of $110million.
Moreover, since the film is 20 years old, the kids who grew up watching it may now be adults reliving their childhood on Netflix. If not, there’s always a new audience discovery on streaming and algorithmic serendipity to count on.
The fantasy comedy film is based on Milan Trenc’s 1993 children’s book, which stars Ben Stiller as Larry Daley, a divorced father who lands a job as a night watchman at New York City’s American Museum of Natural History, only to find the entire museum coming to life at night, thanks to a magical Egyptian artefact.
Two live-action sequels followed the 2006 movie: Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian in 2009 and Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb in 2014, which are also currently available on Netflix. Thus, it’s not exactly a surprise considering fans are opting for a franchise marathon, in turn, sparking the first movie’s rise on the Netflix charts.
With time, it’s also possible that the sequels show up on the charts, but for those still in the dark, Night at the Museum is making waves on Netflix. So, make a marathon out of it while you have the chance.