The Box-Office Top Five
1. "Get Smart" ($39.2 million)
2. "Kung Fu Panda" ($21.7 million)
3. "The Incredible Hulk" ($21.6 million)
4. "The Love Guru" ($14 million)
5. "The Happening" ($10 million)
Inspired by the classic television show of the same name, "Get Smart" scored big this weekend, easily beating all challengers to come in at #1 at the domestic box office. How good did it do? Would you believe that it made a million dollars for every year it's been off the air? Missed it by that much.
No need to send down the Cone of Silence; with $39.2 million, the revamp exceeded expectations on its way to becoming the biggest live-action opening in Steve Carell's career. (And for the record, "Get Smart" last aired 38 years ago.)
In second place, "Kung Fu Panda," starring Jack Black and Angelina Jolie, continued to hold strong, falling only 35 percent in its third weekend. With $21.7 million, the animated action flick soared past $150 million domestic, making it a solid bet to hit $200 million by the end of its run.
"The Incredible Hulk," meanwhile, should be so lucky. Thought by analysts to have the potential for more box-office stamina than its predecessor, Ang Lee's "Hulk," the Edward Norton movie fell a whopping 61 percent in its second week. That number is an improvement from Lee's "Hulk" — but only slightly. At issue may be the character himself. Although immensely popular in comic book form, Hulk isn't much of a cinematic hero. Our solution? Listen to director Louis Leterrier and make him a villain already.
The biggest story of the weekend, however, isn't green — it's a lack of it. Returning to live action after a lengthy hiatus, Mike Myers' brand of schlocky humor proved to be box-office kryptonite as "The Love Guru" was good for just $14 million. Despite making a wide range of appearances, including a stint as host of the 2008 MTV Movie Awards 2008 MTV Movie Awards, Myers' shtick obviously wasn't working with audiences or journalists, who universally panned the film while deriding its star. Perhaps he should hire a new publicist?
"The Happening" came in fifth place with $10 million, pushing it past $50 million in its second weekend.
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