“Inception” Sweeter Than “Salt” at Weekend Box Office; “Ramona & Beezus” Debuts

With an impressive retention, “Inception” extended its box office victory streak to two, topping respectable new entry “Salt.”

“Inception” added $43.5 million to its take, bringing the cumulative domestic total to $143.7 million. The drop of only 30% from last week’s debut prevented “Salt”‘s $36.5 million debut from claiming the top spot.

Other top five performers included the still-strong “Despicable Me” ($24.1 million), disappointing “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” ($9.7 million) and blockbuster “Toy Story 3” ($9.0 million).

“Ramona and Beezus,” which was the only major new release outside of “Salt,” started with just $8 million.

On the expansion front, “The Kids Are All Right” added 163 theatres to its circulation; it grossed $2.6 million this week, bringing the total up to $5.0 million.

Weekend Top Ten:
1) Inception – $43.5M ($143.7M)
2) Salt – $36.5M
3) Despicable Me – $24.1M ($161.7M)
4) The Sorcerer’s Apprentice – $9.7M ($42.6M)
5) Toy Story 3 – $9M ($379.5M)
6) Ramona and Beezus – $8M
7) Grown Ups – $7.6M ($142.4M)
8) The Twilight Saga: Eclipse – $7M ($279.7M)
9) The Last Airbender – $4.2M ($123.3M)
10) Predators – $2.9M ($46.6M)