The Dark Knight

"Inception" ranks fifth with $478 million so far (the film hit theaters July 16). The $160 million movie was a big gamble for Time Warner studio Warner Bros. It's not based on a book, a TV show or an older movie, and the plot is twisty enough to cause confusion and headaches for many viewers. But somehow the original work has turned into a bona fide hit. Director Christopher Nolan's last film, "The Dark Knight, earned a whopping $1 billion at the box office. "Inception" is nowhere near that, but it has well surpassed Nolan's last non-Batman film, "The Prestige," which earned only $110 million at the global box office.