1. "Inception" ($21.3 million)
2. "Despicable Me" ($10 million)
3. "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" ($5.4 million)
4. "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" ($4.5 million)
5. "Toy Story 3" ($3.5 million)
It would seem that the dream is very real, as Christopher Nolan's "Inception" is not only a critical success, it's well on its way to becoming a commercial one as well. The Leonardo DiCaprio-starring science fiction movie easily won first place on Friday, surpassing every other competitor by at least $10 million.
"Inception" took in $21.3 million on its first Friday at the box office, with an estimated $3 million chunk earned from midnight screenings. With its impressive cast list, top secret premise and the golden reputation of "The Dark Knight" director Nolan to its name, "Inception" is well on target for a weekend worth $60 million. Given the positive word of mouth, the film could maintain box office dominance for several weeks to come.
Universal's "Despicable Me" remains a favorite amongst moviegoers, earning $10 million on Friday and bringing its grand domestic total up to $95.6 million. You don't have to look at the box office numbers to see that "Despicable" is a thoroughly lovable success, as sequel and spinoff plans are already in the works for the Steve Carell-starring supervillain comedy.
Friday's third place slot belonged to "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," the Nicolas Cage and Jay Baruchel-starring update on the classic Disney tale. The film has earned $12.4 million since opening on Wednesday, with $5.4 million of that total earned on Friday — not exactly magical numbers, to say the least.
"The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" and "Toy Story 3" remain strong performers with $4.5 million and $3.5 million fourth and fifth place finishes, respectively.
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