So what if “Inception” is incomprehensible? The costly sci-fi thriller opened at No. 1 at the weekend box office in North America on Sunday, pulling in $60.4 million from moviegoers happy to be vexed by one of the few big original pictures of the summer, according to estimates issued by distributor Warner Bros. Pictures. The weekend's other big new release failed to whip up any magic amid poor reviews. Nicolas Cage's “The Sorcerer's Apprentice” bombed at No. 3 with just $17.4 million in weekend ticket sales. Last weekend's champion, the family cartoon “Despicable Me,” slipped to No. 2 with $32.7 million. “Inception,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio as a thief who steals secrets from deep within people's subconscious, was written and directed by Christopher Nolan, the English filmmaker responsible for the last two “Batman” movies. It set a new personal best for DiCaprio, surpassing the $41 million start for “Shutter Island” in February. Critics heaped praise on “Inception,” even if many of them were not exactly sure what it was about, or advised that it might require multiple viewings. In a caustic review, the Wall Street Journal suggested the film was “impervious to criticism, simply because no one short of a NASA systems analyst will be able to articulate the plot.” That film leads a long list of recent releases that are either sequels, remakes or adaptations, such as “Alice in Wonderland,” “Iron Man 2,” “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse,” “Shrek Forever After” and “The Karate Kid.”
