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.

Among all the Oscar and BAFTA buzz that is surrounding The Kings Speech at the moment it's no surprise to see it still topping the UK box office chart in it's third week of release.

Just to mention the Oscars, The Kings Speech has got more Nomination than any other film this year, 12 in Total, and it gets nods in all major categories except for Best Actress, it's up for Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Screenplay to name just half of it's nominated categories.

Onto this weeks chart and the film took a very impressive £ 4,226,074 in it's 3rd week, which brings it's total to £ 18,312,482. It will be interesting to see if the award momentum can keep it at number one.

Top new release of the week is the Oscar nominated Black Swan starring Natalie Portman. The ballet drama which also stars Winona Ryder took £2,762,429 during it's first weekend.

Slipping to third this week is The Green Hornet with £1,187,652 and a total gross after 2 weeks of £ 3,830,737.

New at 4 is The Dilemma with £1,102,798, a disappointing debut for a Ron Howard film starring Vince Vaughn, and making a slow fall down is Gulliver's Travels at 5 with £992,382 making it's total £13,728,081.

This weeks chart is again lower than this time last year where Avatar and Sherlock Holmes were still pulling in the audience with Alvin and the Chipmunks 2, Up in the Air and It's Complicated also doing very good business.

Today (Thursday 21st January) BAFTA, the British Film Association awards, has announced it's nominations for the awards ceremony taking place in London on 21st February.

The all important best film of the year award is a race between Avatar, An Education, The Hurt Locker, Precious and Up In The Air and An Education also appears in the nomination for best British film along with Fish Tank, In The loop, Moon and Nowhere Boy.

Like the Golden Globe Awards the BAFTA's are seen as a pre-curser to the Oscars and in the directing category I can see the list being very similar as James Cameron (Avatar), Neill Blomkamp (District 9), Lone Scherfig (An Education), Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker) and Quentin Tarantino (Inglourious Basterds) all get nods, it's good to see Neill Blomkamp in there.

The best actor and actress categories are similar to the expectation for the Oscars as well with Jeff bridges who just won the Golden Globe leading the field for the men with George Clooney, Colin Firth, Jeremy Renner and Any Sirkis all getting a mention. The actress category is led by Carey Mulligan along with Saoirse Ronan, Gabourey Sidibe and of course Meryl Streep.

We'll find out in a months time who walks away with the awards in a ceremony hosted by TV favourite Jonathan Ross.

For a full list of nomination check out the BAFTA website.