Warner Bros.’ update of the ’60 television spy spoof Get Smart successfully infiltrated the North American box office over the weekend. The Steve Carrel vehicle earned an estimated $39 million and easily took the top spot from Universal’s and Marvel Studios’ CG-laden The Incredible Hulk. The DreamWorks Animation/Paramount action-comedy Kung Fu Panda is showing staying power by apparently holding onto the No. 2 spot in its third week in theaters. The toon has grossed roughly $155.5 million domestically and $42.6 internationally for worldwide total nearing $200 million.
According to BoxOfficeMojo.com, Panda squeaked by last week’s box office champ with an estimated $21.7 to Hulk‘s $21.5 million. Unless the actual results tip the scale in Hulk’s favor, the superhero flick will have to settle for third place in its second week. Though critics have been far more supportive of this latest attempt at a Hulk feature, Marvel and Universal must be concerned by a 61% drop off in attendance. The pic has little chance of matching the success of big brother Iron Man, which has earned more than $300 million for Marvel and Paramount since opening in May and remains a top-ten box-office contender.
Brutalized by critics, Paramount’s Mike Meyers comedy The Love Guru managed an estimated $14 million to debut at No. 4. Meanwhile, 20th Century Fox’s M. Night Shyamalan thriller The Happening suffered a steep 65% drop off in its second week, earning $10 million to bring its domestic gross to about $50.2 million.
Five weeks out of the gate, Paramount’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull has dropped out of the top five, adding an estimated $8.5 million to bring its North American draw to more than $290 million. Foreign audiences have given Dr. Jones an even bigger homecoming, buying tickets to the tune of roughly $359 million and driving the worldwide gross to around $650 million, enough to beat Iron Man on a global scale.
A new major contender enters the ring this coming weekend as Disney/Pixar’s highly anticipated new animated feature, WALL●E, makes its way to theaters. Watch the trailer and behind-the-scenes videos on AniMagTV.
