UK box office report 16th January 2015: Taken 3 stays on top while American Sniper has it in its sights

Staying put this week, Tak3n makes it 2 weeks at the top of the UK box office despite a challenge from the new Clint Eastwood film.

Liam Neeson has become the action hero of the moment with Taken 3 taking another £3.3 million from the weekend which brings it's total to £12.2 million after 10 days.

The threequel is keeping well in line with the previous film in the series but it already double that of the first films full UK cinema run.

Debuting strong at number 2 is American Sniper which enters the Uk box office with a first weekend gross of £2.5 million, Oscar nomination are boosting it's potential and it could end up one of Eastwood's highest grossing films.

The theory of Everything, Into the Woods and Paddington wound out the top five.

Other new films this week are: Whiplash at 7, Wild at 9, The Merry Widow Met Opera 2015 at 10 and Testament of Youth at 11.

Historical charts

A year ago - The Wolf of Wall Street was the first new number 1 film of the year debuting in the top spot and knocking 12 Years A Slave into second place.

Five years ago - Avatar stayed on top for yet another week and the highest new film was Up In The Air right down at 5.

Ten years ago - Highest new film and new number 1 for the week was Closer which knocked White Noise from the top to number 3.

Fifteen years ago - Sleepy Hollow kept it's hold on the top of the box office where it entered the previous week, Angelas Ashes was the highest new film of the week at 2.

This weeks top 10 UK Box Office films

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