Pixar Animation's WALL-E stormed to the top of the North American box office this weekend with US$62.5 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Friday.
The computer-generated adventure, which centers on a little robot who falls in love with a probe droid from space, tied with Monsters, Inc. to deliver the third-biggest opening for a Pixar film. The record is held by The Incredibles, with an opening of $70.4 million, followed by Finding Nemo with $70.2 million.
Debuting in second place with an impressive $51.1 million was Timur Bekmambetov's R-rated action thriller Wanted, which opened above studio expectations. Starring James McAvoy and Angelina Jolie, the film follows a nobody who discovers new meaning in his boring life when he's asked to join a fraternity of assassins.
Last week's box office champion, Get Smart, slipped to No. 3, collecting $20 million and reaching a domestic total of $77.2 million after two weeks in release. The Peter Segal-directed action comedy stars Steve Carell as a clumsy agent who must battle the forces of KAOS, an organization seeking world dominance.
At No. 4, DreamWorks Animation's Kung Fu Panda pulled in $11.7 million from ticket sales at 3,670 locations. Paramount's adventure tale about a panda who's struggling to learn the basics of kung fu lifted its cumulative gross to $179.3 million after a strong four-week run.
Louis Leterrier's action hit The Incredible Hulk dropped to fifth place, earning $9.2 million, bringing its total haul to $115.5 million. Based on the popular Marvel comics, the film follows a scientist (Edward Norton) who transforms into a green giant when he gets consumed by anger.
Meanwhile, Paramount's The Love Guru tumbled to sixth place with a weekend gross of $5.4 million and a cumulative take of only $25.3 million after two weeks in release. Marco Schnabel's comedy starring Mike Myers opened below studio expectations last week after being torn apart by the nation's top critics.
Following closely in seventh place was Steven Spielberg's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, which took home $5 million, bringing its domestic total to $299.9 million after six weeks in release. At No. 8, M. Night Shyamalan's mystery thriller The Happening earned $3.8 million, reaching a total haul of $59 million after a three-week run.
Two films rounded out the top 10: New Line Cinema's romantic comedy Sex and the City, with $3.7 million ($140.1 million total gross), and the Adam Sandler vehicle You Don't Mess With the Zohan, with $3.2 million ($91.2 million total).
Source: Box Office Mojo (www.boxofficemojo.com)
GET SMART Is #1 at the Box Office
THE INCREDIBLE HULK Has a Green Box-Office Weekend
KUNG FU PANDA Messes with ZOHAN (and Wins)
SEX AND THE CITY Tops Box office
INDIANA JONES Dethrones PRINCE CASPIAN
PRINCE CASPIAN Overthrows IRON MAN
THE FORBIDDEN KINGDOM Rules at the Box Office
WALL-E was good, but GET SMART and THE LOVE GURU were not up par as i expected. it's been a slow summer for good films.
but i'm really excited about a new film coming out this month: THE DOORMAN! It's a strikingly hilarious and refreshingly well-acted, Borat-style mockumentary following the fast times of Trevor W., New York's most legendary doorman!
Golden!