The last box office chart of the year and Rogue One A Star Wars Story is still the top film across the country for a third straight week while top new film Why Him? comes in at number 2.

With a weekend gross that is showing only a gradual slow down Rogue One takes £5.9 million, this brings the films total gross to £52 million and makes it the highest grossing film released in 2016 in the UK.

Its still not the highest grossing film in the calendar year 2016 with Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens £5 million ahead but for Disney/Lucasfilms to have a the one and two position of the year its been a great year for Star Wars.

Highest new entry of the week entering at 2 is the James Franco comedy Why Him? which takes a very respectable £2.1 million.

For a not franchise film and with Franco as the main headline this is actually a good debut, but with little publicity and very little word of mouth the film could sink fast.

Highest total grossing film is Rogue One while longest running film this week is The Secret Life of Pets which has now been in cinemas for 15 weeks and this week is at number 15.

Historical Charts

A year ago - Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens was in its third week of release and at number one still and with nearly £100 million gross was close to being the top film in the UK ever, Joy was the top new film at 3.

Five years ago - making its debut at the top was Mission:Impossible Ghost Protocol while Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows fell from the top to number 3.

Ten years ago - Night At The Museum was the top new film of the week making its debut at number 1 while Happy Feet fell to number 2 after 3 weeks at number 1.

Fifteen years ago - Two weeks at the top for The Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of The Ring while the top new film was the remake of Mean Machine which landed at 3.

Twenty years ago - 101 Dalmatians remained at the top for a third week while top new film was Daylight which made its debut at number 3.

Twenty five years ago - Making its debut at the top was Curly Sue while The Addams Family fell to number 3 after 2 weeks at the top.

With the global release of any Star Wars films its going to feel like the world stops with baited breath watching how the film will perform, and this week is no different with the release of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

In the end Rogue One opens in the UK to £17 million, a very good opening and a shade above fellow splinter film Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them.

When compared to Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens it doesn't compare, it is about half of the opening gross from this time last year, not surprising as there is less anticipation and this is Star Wars in uncharted territory.

There can be no complaining though, like Fantastic Beasts, we are going to get more of these films and as they find their feet and get fans then the grosses will grow and grow.

Fantastic Bests falls from the top after 4 weeks at number 1 to 3 and a weekend gross of £1.4 million, it is less than £10,000 behind the number 2 film Moana.

It has now taken £45 million in the UK and is the 39th top grossing film of all time.

With the new Star Wars film there were no other new films this week hitting the chart.

Longest running film this week is Trolls which has been around for 9 weeks and highest total grossing movie is Fantastic Beasts.

Historical chart

A year ago - A theme will start to emerge in the coming years is the Star Wars film at the top on this date and this time last year Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens was new at the top, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 fell hard to number 5.

Five years ago - Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows made its debut at the top while Arthur Christmas fell to number 3.

Ten years ago - Happy Feet made it 2 weeks at the top while the top new film was Eragon at number 4.

Fifteen years ago - There was no moving Harry Potter and The Philosophers Stone as it stayed at the top for a 5th weekend while top new film was Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham at number 3.

Twenty years ago - 101 Dalmatians made it to the top on its debut weekend while The Long Kiss Goodnight fell from the top to number 3.

Twenty five years ago - The Addams Family was new at the top while Point Break fell to number 4 after 3 week at number 1.

After an almost never ending saga of setbacks and 9 years after The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, director Peter Jackson takes his vision of J. R. R. Tolkien The Hobbit to the top of the box office.

Maybe because of the slightly less than favorable reviews are the reason but The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey debuts this week with a less than expected £11,601,538, still excellent but for best opening weekends that gross places it only at 33, between Pirates of the Caribbean 4 and 2, still an excellent gross but I don't think it will have a dominance over the box office like Skyfall has.

The Hobbit was nearly the only film released this week, but Disney did release Tinker Bell and the Secret of the Wings which landed at 5 with £528,82

Falling to number 2 this week is Rise of the Guardians which grossed £1,250,469 over the weekend.

A year ago Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows took the top spot with £3,827,697 on it's debut weekend knocking Arthur Christmas into third.

Five years ago The Golden Compass was still at the top with £3,002,951 while Enchanted entered at number 2 with £2,547,975.

Ten years ago Bond was still the top film with a weekend gross of £2,220,351 taking it's total to £27,078,158 while the top film was Like Mike at 4 with £246,169.