Inception snubs Dinner For Schmucks

Inception fended off competition from three new openers this weekend, claiming the box office top spot for the third week in a row.

Totalling a not unimpressive $193m, it took $27m this weekend despite attendance slipping by over 35%. The nearest contender for the crown? Dinner For Schmucks , which settled for second place and an opening haul of $23m.

Angelina Jolie’s Salt remained a healthy draw, dropping from second to third and a taking of $19m – could this be the start of a new franchise for the big-lipped one?

Meanwhile, Despicable Me also slipped a spot to fourth with $15m, and newbie Cat & Dogs: The Revenge Of Kitty Galore (ouch) just made it into the top five with a slender first weekend of $12.5m.

Zac Efron’s indie drama Charlie St. Cloud opened in sixth place with $12.1m, which looks positive for his transition from teen dream musicals to more serious fare. And Toy Story 3 remained a top ten mainstay, dropping from fifth to seventh with $5m.

The rest of the top ten had Grown Ups in eighth place ($4.5m), The Sorcerer’s Apprentice in ninth ($4.3m) and Twilight: Eclipse perched precariously in tenth ($3.9m).

Meanwhile, favourable reviews and big buzz meant that the only film that saw an increase in attendance this week was The Kids Are All Right , which nevertheless had to settle for 12th place.

What did you see this weekend?

In cinemas this week...

Inception review Salt review

The A-Team review Predators review

Toy Story 3 review The Karate Kid review