Corona | Coming Attractions

Now we have an idea how many there were that couldn't wait for the sun to rise today before seeing Inception. Preliminary box office figures are in and peg the grosses from midnight screenings of Christopher Nolan's new sci-fi film at about $3 million dollars. Compared to the $30 million that The Twilight Saga: Eclipse took in last month from its opening day midnight showing, Inception's early morning rake is teeny. However, as an advance indication for how much anticipation a cerebral mind-bender has, the late night Inception showings aren't bad at all.

With overwhemling positive critical reviews flooding in for Inception, the chances are very good that the picture will emerge as the coming weekend's number one at the box office. Estimates are placing the first weekend Inception grosses at around $50 million dollars, but the movie's longtail results -- how well it will play over the coming weeks -- could be where the film finds its true success. Avatar opened decent with $77 million last December, but it was in the daily weekday results that gave the film the legs it needed to become the highest-grossing movie of all-time.