Inception Tops U.s. Box Office

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 (£27.4 million) for last year's (09) Shutter Island.

Funnyman Steve Carell's animated comedy Despicable Me slipped to second place with $32.7 million (£21.8million), raising its 10-day total to $118.4 million (£78.9million).

Nicolas Cage's Disney family adventure The Sorcerer's Apprentice opened at number three with $17.4 million (£11.6million), taking its five-day total to $24.5 million (£16 million).

Meanwhile, hit vampire film sequel The Twilight Saga: Eclipse dropped from two to four, adding $13.5 million (£9 million) to its now three-week total of $265 million (£177 million).

Toy Story 3 rounds out the top five, falling one spot with $11.7 million (£7.8 million) in earnings in its fifth week on the chart.