What happens when a museum's exhibits wake up after the lights go out?
In short: In the 2006 film Night at the Museum, a struggling inventor takes a night watchman job at New York City's American Museum of Natural History. He soon discovers that a mysterious Egyptian artifact brings every exhibit to life, forcing him to manage a chaotic, nightly parade of historical figures.
Directed by Shawn Levy and based on a 1993 children's book by Milan Trenc, the film centers on Larry Daley, played by Ben Stiller. Larry is a divorced father desperate for stability when he is hired by three retiring security guards—Cecil, Reginald, and Gus. He quickly learns that the museum is not as quiet as it seems. Thanks to the Golden Tablet of Pharaoh Ahkmenrah, which arrived at the museum in 1952, the exhibits animate each night, only to disintegrate if they remain outside at sunrise.
The film features an eclectic cast of characters, including a T-rex skeleton named Rexy, a mischievous capuchin monkey named Dexter, and wax figures of Theodore Roosevelt and Attila the Hun. The narrative takes a turn when the veteran guards attempt to steal the tablet to fund their retirement, framing Larry for the resulting chaos. This conflict forces Larry to team up with the living exhibits, including the pharaoh Ahkmenrah himself, to recover the artifact and save his job.
While the film received mixed reviews, it was a major commercial success, grossing $574.5 million and becoming the fifth highest-grossing film of 2006. Production was a significant undertaking; the museum interior was built on a soundstage in Burnaby, British Columbia, and trainers spent weeks preparing Crystal the monkey to interact with Stiller. The film's popularity spawned a franchise, including two sequels and an animated spin-off, cementing the premise of a living museum in popular culture.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Night at the Museum
- Also: Wikidata — Night at the Museum · CC0
- Also: Wikidata — Night at the Museum · CC0
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