'Get' outsmarts 'Guru' at box office

'Hulk,' 'Panda' best Mike Myers' comedy

By ANTHONY D'ALESSANDRO

Warner Bros.' Steve Carell-Anne Hathaway comedy "Get Smart" towered over Paramount's Mike Myers topliner "The Love Guru" at the Friday box office, grossing $13.4 million from 3,911 theaters to come in No. 1 for the day.

"Guru" drew far fewer laughs, grossing just $5.3 million from 3,012 runs to come in No. 4, behind holdovers "The Incredible Hulk" and "Kung Fu Panda."

The gap between the two summer comedies was even bigger than expected.

Based on the late '60s Mel Brooks-Buck Henry TV skein, "Smart" earned top opening day respectively for Carell and Hathaway. "Smart" is also produced by Village Roadshow and Mosaic Media.

"Guru" marks Myers' first return to live action fare since 2003's "Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat" which grossed $100.5 million at the domestic B.O.

For weeks, the industry buzzed that two summer comedies both toplining funny heavyweights would fragment their opening weekend B.O. numbers. Maintaining its hold on the number one spot, "Smart" is expected to lure a broad crowd through Sunday.

Universal and Marvel's "Hulk" gripped second with $6.5 million, down 70%, from 3,508 theaters, for an eight-day cume of $81.4 million.

DreamWorks Animation and Paramount's "Panda" grossed an estimated $6.3 million, down 37%. Since its release on June 6, "Panda" has collected $140.2 million.

Fox's M. Night Shyamalan thriller "The Happening" fell 75% in fifth, collecting $3.3 million from 2,986 sites. In its first eight days, "Happening" has made $43.6 million.

Picturehouse's Abigail Breslin headliner "Kit Kittredge: An American Girl" touted a hefty per theater average of $19,731 on the specialty side or $99,000 from five venues in the cities where the American Girl doll stores are located: L.A., Gotham, Chicago, Dallas and St. Louis.