The Box-Office Top Five

#1 "Inception" ($27.5 million)

#2 "Dinner for Schmucks" ($23.3 million)

#3 "Salt" ($19.3 million)

#4 "Despicable Me" ($15.5 million)

#5 "Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore" ($12.5 million)

July faded away and August roared into view this past weekend, and judging by the weekend's relatively low box office numbers moviegoers apparently had summer plans that didn't involve heading to the local cinema. Surrounded by three soft openings from newcomers, Christopher Nolan's "Inception" once again proved that successful original action films this summer are more than just a pipe dream.

The fourth movie of the year to spend three weekends in first place, "Inception" earned an estimated $27.5 million at the domestic box office this weekend, raising its total gross to $193.3 million after opening 17 days ago. Having already cleared its reported production budget of $160 million with domestic dollars alone, "Inception" is also a success abroad; overseas performances add up to a $363.3 million worldwide total.

Beyond "Inception," three new movies premiered at the box office with varying degrees of disappointment. "Dinner for Schmucks" was the best-performing of the three, arriving in second place with $23.3 million. A remake of the 1998 French film "Le Dîner de Cons," the Jay Roach-directed "Schmucks" marked a personal best opening for Paul Rudd in a leading role.

"Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore" didn't fare nearly as well, drawing a mere $12.5 million fifth-place finish, with slightly over half of that total earned from 3-D screenings. "Kitty Galore" was a significant step down from its "Cats & Dogs" predecessor, which arrived in theaters to the tune of $21.7 million in 2001.

Rounding out the weekend's major releases was "Charlie St. Cloud," the Zac Efron-starring drama from Universal Pictures. The movie amassed $12.1 million this weekend for a respectable but unremarkable sixth-place finish.

The weekend's third and fourth place slots were occupied by "Salt" and "Despicable Me," respectively.

Upcoming Releases

Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell come out guns ablaze next weekend with their action comedy "The Other Guys," while dance enthusiasts can get their groove on with "Step Up 3-D."

Check out everything we've got on "Inception."

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