“Inception” continues to be the movie phenomenon of summer 2010 as it once again topped the North American box office according to numbers released by box office websites BoxOfficeMojo.com. Christopher Nolan’s science fiction smash fended off all other contenders, including all three new releases, to top the box office for the third consecutive weekend. Elsewhere on the top 10, the Angelina Jolie spy-thriller “Salt” held up relatively well in its second weekend, proving that there’s still room for ass-kicking 40-year-olds in a market soaked with dismal films.

Seventeen days after it opened across North America, Christopher Nolan’s “Inception” is still the number one movie in the country. According to information released by Warner Brothers, the acclaimed science fiction action movie grossed an estimated $27.5 million – down only 36% from its previous weekend – to take its grand total up to a very impressive $193.3 million. At its current pace, “Inception” should have no trouble dreaming past $200 million. Look for it to finish out its leggy run with a final gross somewhere in the $265-275 million range and rank as the year’s top grossing non-sequel/remake.

Paul Rudd and Steve Carell in 'Dinner for Schmucks' PHOTO: Paramount

Steve Carell’s continued to impress at the box office in 2010 as his new comedy “Dinner for Schmucks” opened in second place with an appetizing $23.3 million. While it was the weakest opening of the year for the actor, who also starred in April’s “Date Night” and voiced the lead character in “Despicable Me,” it was a better opening than his last broad comedy “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” which opened with a similar $21.4 million in 2005. Don’t expect “Schmucks” to become a word-of-mouth phenomenon as “Virgin” though because reviews for the slapstick comedy were polarizing.

After a solid $36 million opening, Angelina Jolie’s “Salt” dropped one spot to third with an estimated gross of $19.2 million – down 46.5% from last week – to take its total up to $70.8 million. Since most action movies drop by at least 50% in their sophomore weekends, this one can be counted as a success for Jolie and Columbia Pictures who will likely see this as an encouraging opportunity to milk a sequel. A final gross in the $125 million range seems likely at this point.

“Despicable Me” continued to hold strong in fourth as the premiere 3-D movie in the country. The well-received comedy took in an estimated $15.5 million in its fourth weekend to up its total to a fantastic $190.3 million. Look for it to topple both “How to Train Your Dragon” ($217 million) and “Shrek Forever After” ($235 million) in the upcoming weeks to become the year’s second-highest grossing animated feature behind Pixar’s “Toy Story 3”.

Doesn't look we're going to be seeing these guys anytime soon. PHOTO: WB

Rounding out the top five was Zac Efron’s latest failed attempt to join the A-list: the tearjerker “Charlie St. Cloud.” The poorly marketed and advertised drama could only manage to pull in a weak $12.1 million despite Efron’s attempts to pimp the movie on talk shows. It looks like he’s going to have to settle with being just a pretty face for now.

Elsewhere in the top ten, the not-so-anticipated sequel “Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore” crashed and burned with a dismal $12.5 million. It was an embarrassing result considering the family film played mostly on 3-D screens (see: ridiculously high ticket prices), played on more than 3,000 screens and had a budget of at least a $100 million, including marketing costs. Yea, it’s hard to believe that the sequel to “Cats & Dogs” cost $100 million to produce. Reviews for the talking-critter movie were brutal but critics weren’t the only ones unimpressed as opening night moviegoers polled by Cinemascore slapped the film with a pitiful “B-” average signaling that this kitty is going to be euthanized pretty soon.

NEXT WEEK: The three-week reign of “Inception” will come to an end with the debut of “The Other Guys” which with its hilarious trailers, television spots, stars and buzz, will easily top the box office. Joining the comedy in the race for box office supremacy will be another unwanted sequel in the form of “Step Up in 3-D.” Maybe one of you’ll can explain it to me a little more clearly but who exactly is interested in watching this dance flick in 3-D?

Click here to see the rest of the top ten.

SOURCE: ERC Box Office, Box Office Mojo.com