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Salt

The Angelina Jolie action/thriller places second on Friday with $12.7 million. This is a considerable step back from Jolie's last action film, Wanted, which opened to $19 million back in June 2008 on its way to a $50 million weekend. Admittedly that had a better trailer, but this Friday figure is troubling considering the advertising push that Salt had and the fact that Jolie probably ranks in the top three of most well-known actresses in the world right now. This opening doesn't even match Tomb Raider, which was nine years ago. It's almost closer to the sequel Lara Croft: Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life. Give Salt a weekend of $34.3 million.

Ramona and Beezus

The Walden Media adaptation of the Beverly Cleary books earned $2.9 million on Friday, well behind Despicable Me but slightly ahead of Toy Story 3, which has been playing much longer. The rest of the weekend should be all right as parents who grew up with the books take their daughters, and I suppose Selena Gomez is worth a few bucks as well, but it's still something of a disappointment. Give it a weekend of $9.5 million.

Inception

The disappointment of Salt clears the way for Inception to hold the top spot for a second weekend. It holds well enough considering the big numbers, off 39% from last Friday, earning $13.3 million. It should put a little bit of distance between itself and Salt by the time the estimates come in. Look for a second weekend of $40 million.

Notable Holdovers

In its third weekend, Despicable Me is becoming a bonafide smash, down just 28% from last Friday and is nearly a lock for $200 million. Look for another $23.6 million this weekend, solidly in third place.

Elsewhere, The Sorcerer's Apprentice confirms itself as a bomb, dropping 47% from last Friday to $2.9 million. Give it $8 million this weekend and be done with it.

Projected Estimates for the Top Ten (Three-Day)
Projected Rank	Film	Estimated Gross
1	Inception	40.1
2	Salt	34.3
3	Despicable Me	23.6
4	Ramona and Beezus	9.5
5	Toy Story 3	8.7
6	The Sorcerer's Apprentice	8.0
7	Grown Ups	6.9
8	The Twilight Saga: Eclipse	6.6
9	The Last Airbender	3.8
10	Predators	2.6