CAT PURRS ITS WAY TO TOP OF BOX OFFICE

Reviewers said it deserved to be in the litter box, but Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat raked in $40.1 million at the box office in its weekend debut, putting it at the top. The Mike Myers-starring flick wasn’t treated well by the critics, and did far less than 2000’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas’s $55.1 million opening. Of course, if you smoke enough catnip, both movies are brillian.

The weekend’s other big opener was Halle Berry’s Gothika, which brought in $19.6 million and landed at second place. Last week’s #1, Elf, brought in $19.1 million for a three-week total of $95.1 million. Hooray for the little people.

Here’s the rest of the top 10: #4 Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World ($15.2m); #5 Love Actually ($9.1m); #6 The Matrix Revolutions ($6.7m); #7 Brother Bear ($5.5m); #8 Looney Tunes: Back in Action ($4.1m); #9 Scary Movie 3 ($3.3m); #10 Radio ($2.6m).