After a three-week stint in the top spot, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies has finally been knocked from its perch. The victor: The Theory of Everything, James Marsh’s award nomination-amassing biopic of Stephen Hawking.
The Golden Globe-nominated drama, starring Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones, took $5.7 million in its opening weekend, according to figures released Tuesday by Rentrak. The Imitation Game, considered The Theory of Everything’s closest British rival as awards season descends, scooped $4.2 million in its debut weekend in November.
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With another $4.9 million under its dwarfish belt, The Hobbit brought its four-week total to $55.8 million, contributing to an overall global haul of more than $770 million.
Clinging on to the third spot with four paws, Paddington continued to add to an already hugely impressive six-week tally for StudioCanal’s children’s book adaptation, with an extra $4.3 million taking its earnings to $46.8 million. The film will be released in the U.S. on Jan. 16.
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Despite losing Daniel Radcliffe, the sequel to the 2012’s hugely successful stage-to-screen Hammer horror adaptation The Woman in Black was the second-highest new entry in fourth place. The Woman in Black: Angel of Death haunted its way to $3.7 million in its opening week.
Another awards-season favorite, Birdman, swooped into the top 10 in the seventh spot with $2.3 million, just short of Ridley Scott’s Exodus: Gods and Kings, which slipped four places in its second week.
