The box office report

Is The Incredible Hulk a hit? It's tough to say after one weekend. On the plus side, it finished first with $55 million. But it should be pointed out that 2003's "The Hulk" opened at $62.1 million and quickly fell off from there. It's looking like it will take a few more weeks to know for sure which way "The Incredible Hulk" will lean.

THE UPSIDE: The studio likely breathing a huge sigh of relief is Fox. The backers of "The Happening" had to be wondering how the horror flick would fare following director M. Night Shyamalan's checkered recent showing at the box office (His last film, "The Lady in the Water," managed a very soft $42 million.) The news was good come Sunday afternoon, though, as "The Happening" earned a solid $30.5 million.

BOMB SQUAD: When "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" opened with $55 million, it was too early to tell if the sequel to "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" would sink or swim. Now that five weeks have passed, the picture is a little clearer, but it's not pretty. Including last weekend's $3.2 million take, "Caspian" has earned $131.9 million domestically on a $200 million budget. The additional $100 million that the film has earned overseas puts it in the black, but after the original pulled in more than $700 million worldwide, you can bet that Disney was hoping for a little more from No. 2.

SWAMI SEZ: The Swami needs to remember that these are tough economic times.

PREDICTION: "The Incredible Hulk" outdoes 2003's "The Hulk," earning $70 million.

RESULT: Negative on both accounts.

PREDICTION: "The Happening" earns $25 million its first weekend, a respectable total for an R-rated movie.

RESULT: And then some.

IN CONTROL: In a box office game of chicken, two comedies ("Get Smart," "The Love Guru") with big stars (Steve Carell, Mike Myers) and big expectations will battle it out this weekend. The closer we get to opening day, though, the clear winner emerges when you ask yourself, "Who would win in a fight between a special agent and a guy wearing pastels?"

PREDICTION: "Get Smart" easily tops "Love Guru," winning the weekend with $38 million. Mikey likes it, will you?

SO WHITHER 'LOVE GURU'? Mike Meyers no doubt has a fan base eager for him to put "Shrek" away for a bit and provide some live-action funnies. But is this character too much of a stretch?

PREDICTION: "Love Guru" earns a modest $20 million but is edged out by "The Incredible Hulk" for second place.

___

© 2008, The Dallas Morning News.