I didn't care what movie was No. 1 this weekend, as long as it wasn't The Love Guru. And I got my wish.

Still, I'm a little shocked that Get Smart, which is sporadically hilarious, ran away with the weekend like it did. Almost $40 million -- $39.2 million, to be exact -- is a lot more than I was expecting. I guess I'm not the only one with fond memories of that goofy old spy sitcom, or the only one who saw the casting of Steve Carell as Agent Maxwell Smart as inspired. I say good on Get Smart, and in honor of its triumph, I will refrain from any more "Would you believe...?" jokes.

Far behind at Nos. 2 and 3, Kung Fu Panda and The Incredible Hulk are neck-and-neck, taking in, respectively, $21.7 million and $21.6 million, which makes it too close to call until the final numbers come in on Monday afternoon. Panda just passed $150 million, and dropped only 35 percent in its third weekend, which is boding extremely well for the long-term prospects of this charming animated flick. On the other hand, Hulk, in its second weekend, nose-dived more than 61 percent, and still hasn't passed $100 million (it's close, at $96 mill), which does not make it look like it will have legs much beyond the Fourth of July.

And here we have, way down at No. 4, with an opening weekend of only $14 million, The Love Guru. Even $14 million is too much for this atrocity of a "comedy." I shudder just thinking about how misbegotten it is.

At No. 5 is another movie whose title is certain to become shorthand for "cinematic disaster," The Happening, which plummeted 67 percent in its second weekend, adding $10 million to its coffers.

And look at this! Kit Kittredge: An American Girl, a sweet, gentle movie about a little girl (and with a credits list that is composed almost entirely of women!) opened in five theaters this weekend ahead of its wide release over the Fourth of July, and it earned a whopping $223,000. That's a per-screen of $44,600, which trashes Get Smart's $10,011. Maybe now Hollywood will sit up and take notice that movies about the other half the human race can actually make money? Nahhh...

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MaryAnn Johanson (email me)
film reviews and TV blogging at FlickFilosopher.com

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