INCEPTION TOPS BOX OFFICE

Leonardo DiCaprio and Christopher Nolan's new thriller Inception has topped the box office, debuting with $60.4 million in earnings at the weekend (16-18Jul10).

The action film, about a team that sneaks into people's dreams, marks DiCaprio's biggest opening weekend in the U.S., beating his previous best of $41.1 million for last year's (09) Shutter Island.

Funnyman Steve Carell's animated comedy Despicable Me slipped to second place with $32.7 million, raising its 10-day total to $118.4 million.

Nicolas Cage's Disney family adventure The Sorcerer's Apprentice opened at number three with $17.4 million, taking its five-day total to $24.5 million.

Meanwhile, hit vampire film sequel The Twilight Saga: Eclipse dropped from two to four, adding $13.5 million to its now three-week total of $265 million.

Toy Story 3 rounds out the top five, falling one spot with $11.7 million in earnings in its fifth week on the chart.