"Get Smart" tops weekend box office in N America

Warner Bros. thriller-comedy "Get Smart" is expected to top the box office in North America this weekend as the film takes in estimated 39.1 million dollars over the four-day period, according to preliminary figures released Sunday.

A poster of "Get Smart." "Get Smart" is expected to top the box office in North America this weekend as the film takes in estimated 39.1 million dollars over the four-day period.

"Get Smart," starring Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway, is the latest big-screen adaptation of the popular 1960s sitcom about the bumbling U.S. agent Maxwell Smart on a mission to stop a plot by the evil crime syndicate known as KAOS.

Meanwhile, Paramount's heavily-marketed comedy "The Love Guru," the weekend's other new wide release, is pegged to finish in a sad fourth place at the box office, with just 14 million dollars in receipts, the Los Angeles-based box office tracking firm Media By Numbers predicted.

Cast member Anne Hathaway waves at the premiere of "Get Smart" at the Mann Village theatre in Westwood, California June 16, 2008.

In a near-tie for second place were two movies that premiered earlier. DreamWorks Animation's "Kung Fu Panda" will take in 21.7 million dollars over the weekend, narrowly followed by last week's box office leader, Marvel Studios' "The Incredible Hulk," with an estimated take of 21.6 million dollars.

The panda movie has grossed estimated 155.6 million dollars in North America since its release three weeks ago, and the hulk, in its second week of release, has a track record of 96.4 million dollars. The two films were close enough that their rankings could change when final numbers are released Monday.

Cast member Meagan Good poses at the premiere of "The Love Guru" at the Grauman's Chinese theatre in Hollywood, California June 11, 2008. The movie opens in the U.S. on June 20.

Cast member Anne Hathaway poses at the premiere of "Get Smart" at the Mann Village theatre in Westwood, California June 16, 2008. The movie opens in the U.S. on June 20

Cast members Anne Hathaway and Steve Carell pose at the after-party for premiere of "Get Smart" in Westwood, California June 16, 2008. The movie opens in the U.S. on June 20

Cast member Steve Carell (L) greets actress Jenna Fischer (R), as co-star from the movie Anne Hathaway (C) stands nearby, at the premiere of "Get Smart" at the Mann Village theatre in Westwood, California June 16, 2008