Apparently, there is still some laughter in that old shoe phone yet. GET SMART – the gadget-ridden spy spoof based on the ’60s television series – easily made it to #1 at the box office. Opening in 3,911 American theatres, the film earned $39.16-million. That was nearly three times as much as the weekend’s other big comedy release, THE LOVE GURU, which came in at #4 with only $14-million.
As for holdover cinefantastique titles, there seemed to be strength in the genre.
KUNG FU PANDA held onto second place with a $22.7-million weekend, adding up to a $155.60-million three-week total.
THE INCREDIBLE HULK shrank from first to third place in its sophomore session but still earned $21.56-million, for a two-week total of $96.48-million
THE HAPPENING dropped from #3 to #5 in its second week of release, earning an even $10-million. After two weeks, the film has amassed $50.27-million – better than Shyamalan’s previous film, LADY IN THE WATER, but not match for his blockbuster hits SIXTH SENSE and SIGNS.
INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL declined from fifth to sixth place with $8.41-million, yielding a five-week treasure trove of $290.84-million.
IRON MAN flew from #7 to #9, earning $4.00-million and raising its eight-week total to $304.79-million – still the biggest film of the summer.
THE STRANGERS knocked their way from eighth to 10th place with $1.95-million. The four-week total is $49.59-million – not much by summer standards but judged by recent horror films, it is better than any of the sequels and remakes that have been filling screens this year.
Finally, THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CAPSIAN dropped out of the Top Ten, falling from #9 to #11. The $1.71-million weekend raised the six-week total to $135.47-million. Though not a bad number, that is well below expectations. Perhaps Buena Vista should have waited to release the film at Christmas Time (like its predecessor).
Read the complete Top Ten here.