As expected, Christopher Nolan's sci-fi/thriller Inception topped the US/Canada box office on Friday, July 16, according to studio estimates found at Box Office Mojo.
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Marion Cotillard, Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Berenger, Ken Watanabe, and Michael Caine, Inception grossed an estimated $21.64m on Friday (including about $3m from Thursday midnight screenings).
Weekend expectations for Nolan's film have been hovering around $60m-$65m.
Former box-office champion Despicable Me was the no. 2 movie, earning a solid $10.05m. The fantasy adventure crossed the $100m milestone some time today.
Directed by Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud, Despicable Me features the voices of Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Julie Andrews, Miranda Cosgrove, and others.
At no. 3, the poorly received Jerry Bruckheimer/Disney release The Sorcerer's Apprentice took in $5.4m. The film's total after three days is $12.4m, which makes it unlikely Sorcerer will reach $25m by late Sunday as some had predicted.
Directed by Jon Turteltaub, The Sorcerer's Apprentice stars Nicolas Cage, Jay Baruchel, Alfred Molina, and Teresa Palmer.
Down two spots from Thursday after losing 400 theaters (including nearly all IMAX venues), Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, and Taylor Lautner's The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, collected $4.5m at no. 4.
At no. 5, Lee Unkrich's Toy Story 3, featuring the voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, and Joan Cusack, scored $3.42m.
Photo: Inception(Stephen Vaughan / Warner Bros.)
