Box office

CINEMA SCOREBOARD: Inception was off 36% in week three, but Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi spectacle still took in was enough to keep it ahead of Schmucks, which opened with a tepid $23.3 million. In the arty/indie sector, Focus Features’ The Kids Are All Right fell flat as it spread from 201 theaters to 847, with a mere 33% increase in ticket sales to $3.5 million. As the L.A. Times’ Ben Fritz notes, it appears that audiences in suburban markets and at theaters that typically play more commercial pictures aren't attracted to the story of a two-mother family that meets their sperm donor. Here’s the top 10, according to Hollywood.com:

1. Inception (Warner Bros./Legendary) $27.5 million on its third weekend, down 36%. $53.7 million overseas in 51 foreign markets. Domestic total: $193.3 million. International total: $170 million.

2. Dinner for Schmucks (Paramount/DreamWorks/Spyglass): Opened to $23.3 million.

3. Salt (Sony/Relativity): $19.3 million on its second weekend, down 47%. $24.5 million overseas in 29 foreign markets. Domestic total: $70.8 million. International total: $32.8 million.

4. Despicable Me (Universal): $15.5 million on its fourth weekend, down 34%. $10.5 million overseas in 20 foreign markets. Domestic total: $190.3 million. International total: $29.2 million.

5. Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore (Warner Bros./Village Roadshow): Opened to $12.5 million.

6. Charlie St. Cloud (Universal/Relativity): Opened to $12.1 million.

7. Toy Story 3 (Disney/Pixar): $5 million on its seventh weekend, down 44%. $39.1 million overseas in 48 foreign markets. Domestic total: $389.7 million. International total: $436.4 million.

8. Grown Ups (Sony/Relativity): $4.5 million on its sixth weekend, down 39%. $3.8 million overseas in 16 foreign markets. Domestic total: $150.7 million. International total: $18.2 million.

9. The Sorcerer's Apprentice (Disney): $4.3 million on its third weekend, down 55%. $9 million overseas in 28 foreign markets. Domestic total: $51.9 million. International total: $40.8 million.

10. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (Summit): $4 million on its fifth weekend, down 45%. $11.2 million in 67 foreign markets. Domestic total: $288.1 million. International total: $356.7 million. (8/2a)