THE OTHER GUYS DEBUTS BIG

Hallelujah! Will Ferrell finally gets a hit, critically and commercially! The brilliant comedic actor who has gone through a bit of a slump with his last few films, struck Box Office gold this weekend with Sony Pictures' The Other Guys on-top with $35.7 million.  The film of course also stars likable Mark Wahlberg  and Samuel L. Jackson who might have had a hand in drawing movie-goers to the cinema.  Expect equally big numbers from the studio again next weekend with Julia Roberts' Eat Pray Love.

The Other Guys handed Inception its first defeat after landing on-top for three consecutive weeks, with $18.2 million this week. To date it has made $228 million domestically.

Step Up 3-D debuts coincidentally in third spot, the third installment in its franchise with $15.3 million. Meanwhile Sony Pictures' Salt, which took in $11 million in its third week of release, just beating out the hot mess of a comedy Dinner for Schmucks, in fifth with $10.5 million.

INCEPTION: THREE WEEKS ON TOP!

Not even the bulletproof combination of Paul Rudd and Steve Carell could topple the power of Leonardo DiCaprio at the Box Office this weekend, with Inception remaining on-top for a third consecutive week. Inception pulled in $27.5 million this weekend, over comedy Dinner for Schmucks which took in $23.3 million in its opening. On Friday, Schmucks actually had the lead over its rival but this soon faded. Three weeks on-top is a rare feat; make no mistake about it - Inception is a special film.

Angelina Jolie's Salt continues to perform well in its second week, landing in third spot this weekend with $19.2 million, for a total of $70.5 million - v. good considering the mixed reviews it's had.

Many may be shocked that Despicable Me is still near the top, placing fourth this weekend with $15.5 million. It is now just $10 million shy of the $200 million mark domestically and makes up for Carell's weaker faring in Dinner for Schmucks.

INCEPTION TWO-FOR-TWO OVER SALT

Warner Bros.' Inception makes it two-for-two at the Box Office this weekend taking it an outstanding $43.5 million despite a challenge from Angelina Jolie-headlined Salt from Sony Pictures. The latter debuted in second with a healthy $36.5 million, undoubtedly well below expectations as it was made for a budget of $110 million. The film has yet to open overseas.

Landing in third spot this week is the very well-reviewed animated feature Despicable Me which is still going strong in its third week, with $24.1 million. To date the film has made $161.7 million. Former champion Toy Story 3 likewise is going strong still in fifth spot with $9.0 million in its sixth week of release. That film has earned an outstanding $379.5 million domestically.

The only other debut this week was Fox's sixth placed Ramona and Beezus, based on the popular Judy Blume novel.  The children's/teen comedy is yet another sub-par showing in a summer of dismal showings for the Box Office magnate. The studio also recently released Knight and Day.

ANGELINA JOLIE SALT REVIEW

Salt isn't a very good movie in all honesty, but you just cannot keep your bloody eyes off the screen for the 100 minutes of a hot mess that it is. Please don't get me wrong, despite having a limited range as an actress, Angelina Jolie is fantastic at what she does. Nobody does dead-pan, sexy action-hero like Jolie but this is far from her best work. The problems here all lie in Kurt Wimmer's (Thomas Crown Affair, The Recruit) near non-existent script and director Phillip Noyce's over-dependency on action sequences (albeit amazing), even when they aren't needed.

The story revolves around CIA agent Evelyn Salt (Jolie) who we learn is a great asset to the Secret Service, undergoing torture and interrogation by the North Koreans at the beginning of the film; she is suspected of being an American spy. She denies this vehemently before being released back to the U.S. with the help of Ted Winter (Liev Schreiber), when of course we realize that she is in fact a Spy after all. We see that she is greeted by her husband Mike Krause (August Diehl) and get a bit of back story on their relationship. Mike is an author and despite her hesitations, they fall in love even knowing the risks involved in marrying a Secret Agent.

POURING THE SALT: NEW ANGELINA JOLIE FILM WINS RAVES

So the first few reviews for Angelina Jolie's new Action-Thriller Salt have surfaced and it seems to have hit all the right notes with some key Tastemakers.  Here's what critics are saying about the Philip Noyce (The Quiet American, Clear and Present Danger) film:

"Noyce rolls up his sleeves and delivers an unpretentious piece of action-movie craftsmanship that proves worthy of its star's own consummate professionalism." - Justin Chang, Variety

"While preposterous at every turn, Salt is a better Bond movie than most recent Bond movies, as its makers keep the stunts real and severely limit CGI gimmickry." - Kirk Honeycutt, The Hollywood Reporter