Inception proved that intelligent films in 2D can still wow an audience, as the Christopher Nolan epic held up very impressively, earning an estimated $43.5 million in its second frame. That's good for only a 30% drop, remarkable legs for a film that runs 2 1/2 hours and asks much brain work from the summer movie crowd. Inception has already earned $227 million worldwide; if it wasn't assured that Nolan is a perfect combination of critic's darling and film geek god, it absolutely is now.
Coming in second place is Salt, in which Jolie plays a super spy on the run. The Philip Noyce-directed thriller opened with approximately $36.5 million - very positive numbers for the Sony film. Jolie is perhaps the only actress in town that can headline an action movie, which is of course typically where the boys play. Salt's opening also makes it evident that there's still interest in Jolie outside of the tabloid realm.
The only other wide opener was the adaptation of the beloved children's book Ramona and Beezus which opened with an "okay" $8 million. While it's not a massive number by any means, it's worth noting that the film only owns 2,719 theaters - compare that to Despicable Me's 3,600. Word is Ramona only cost 20th Century Fox $15 million or so, hence this will ultimately be a profitable flick for the studio.
Last week's other holdover, The Sorcerer's Apprentice had decent though not outstanding numbers in its second weekend. After opening to a disappointing $17 million, the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced fantasy dropped approximately 45%, gathering $9 million this weekend. Not bad, but the Disney flick has a very long way to go before it can be considered even a modest success. (I'm sure its overseas numbers will help that cause.)
Next weekend brings us three wide releases in Dinner for Schmucks, Charlie St. Cloud and Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore.
Title..... Weekend Gross..... Total Cume.....
1. Inception - $43,505,000- $143,663,000
2. Salt - $36,500,000 - $36,500,000
3. Despicable Me - $24,100,000 - $161,700,000
4. The Sorcerer's Apprentice - $9,685,000 - $42,643,000
5. Toy Story 3 - $9,030,000 - $379,529,000
6. Ramona and Beezus - $8,000,000 - $8,000,000
7. Grown Ups - $7,600,000 - $142,412,000
8. The Twilight Saga:Eclipse - $7,033,000 - $279,674,000
9. The Last Airbender - $4,173,000 - $123,264,000
10. Predators - $2,850,000 - $46,568,000
Source: Box Office Mojo
