On nearly 2,000 screens on Thursday at midnight, INCEPTION earned $3 million in the U.S., according to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. The strong showing hints at a potentially solid weekend for Christopher Nolan's mind-bending thriller, which is estimated to take in $50 million this weekend at 3,800 locations.

The film follows extractors who break into the dreams of powerful people to steal their secrets. Stars include Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Marion Cotillard.

The Warner Bros. production is estimated to have cost $160 million.