Terminator Salvation Grosses $13 Mil in First Week at Box Office

According to Daily Variety, Terminator Salvation has raked in about $13.37 million in it's opening date--far shy of the $44 million opening weekend for the Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle, Terminator: Rise of the Machines.

The total gross from Thursday's premiere represents 54 percent of the take for last year's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which opened the same day last year and garnered over $125 million over the Memorial Day weekend.

The film's place at the top of the sales charts may not last long. Opening Friday is Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, a sequel to the 2006 Ben Stiller family comedy featuring him as a night watchman guarding magical wax exhibits. The film is expected to premiere at over 4,095 theaters nationwide, but is not expected to eat into the core 18-49 male demographic for Terminator Salvation.

Terminator Salvation is currently being handled domestically by Warner Bros. in the U.S. and internationally by Sony Pictures. Asian premieres of the film are expected to launch next weekend. In contrast, Smithsonian will launch in over 93 markets this weekend, testifying to the studio's faith in Stiller and the film's A-list crop of actors, including Robin Williams and Amy Adams.

The all-time record for a single day premiere belongs to Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, which launched four years ago and grossed over $50 million over a 12-day period.