Well shut me up! Looks like I was wrong in having no faith in the American filmgoer as they proved that a smart, sci-fi thriller could be a box office success in the summer season. Inception is Leonardo Dicaprio's biggest opener ever, and certainly Christopher Nolan's biggest non-Batman opening ever as well. The Dark Knight opened with a massive $158M just two years ago. With little competition on the horizon, Inception could be in for a long stay at the top. I don't consider Angelina Jolie's upcoming actioner, Salt, to be much of a threat.
2. Despicable Me- $32.7M/$118M
Dropping a measley 42% is Universal's Despicable Me, adding to 2010's string of impressive performances by animated features.
3. The Sorcerer's Apprentice- $17.4M/$24.5M
After it grossed $3.9M on Wednesday, it was pretty clear that this was going to be a dud. It was, as this marks the second Jerry Bruckheimer film in a row to disappoint domestically(The Prince of Persia debuted in 3rd place). Persia went on to gross over $300M worldwide. Whether or not Apprentice has that kind of global appeal remains to be seen. I doubt it.
4. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse- $13.5M/$265M
It's still hangin' around, and not far from surpassing New Moon's $296M total.
5. Toy Story 3- $11.7M/$363M
6. Grown Ups- $10M/$129M
7. The Last Airbender- $7.45M/$115M
8. Predators- $6.8M/$40.1M
It's only been out a week, and yet it feels like it's been forgotten already. Taking a massive 72% tumble, Predaors doesn't have a prayer of matching the $98M haul of the 1987 original. In fact, it might have trouble keeping up with Predator 2's $57M.
9. Knight and Day- $3.7M/$69.2M
10. The Karate Kid- $2.2M/$169M
Also...
The Kids Are All Right continues to light up the indie scene, as it expanded to 38 theaters and pulled in a total of $1,027,000. That's a whopping per site average of $27,026. Wow!
