CHRISTOPHER Nolan’s Inception has topped the US box office for a second week, holding off competition from Angelina Jolie’s Salt.

Inception‘s critically acclaimed mind-bender took an estimated $43.5 million in its sophomore run, ahead of Salt‘s $36.5 million.

The Leonardo DiCaprio star vehicle has now taken $143.7 million in the US and has proven it has staying power, with many audiences expressing a desire to see it for a second time to catch what they may have missed.

Salt‘s strong opening was another victory for Jolie, who has won many admirers for the way she easily fits into an action role (building on past successes in Wanted and Mr & Mrs Smith.

And in what marked a big victory for ingenuity over sequel-itis, the top three was rounded out by animated family hit Despicable Me, which took a further $24.1 million – therefore making it a clean sweep of original stories (ie, not sequels or adaptations of comic books, bestsellers, video games or other pre-existing material).

The top five were rounded out by Disney’s The Sorcorer’s Apprentice and Pixar’s Toy Story 3, which all contribued to a really profitable weekend overall.

Next story: Mark Ruffalo confirmed as Hulk as The Avengers wows Comic-Con

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