A £5.1 million opening weekend was enough to dislodge last weeks top film, although only just, The Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 1 falls into second place with £4.9 million.
With Paddington making the move from TV to the big screen, and is likely to to gross somewhere in the £20 - £30 million region this is bound to be a new franchise in the making.
Also new at 4 this week is a sequel to 2011's Horrible Bosses, aptly named Horrible Bosses 2, a debut weekend of £1.2 million puts it week behind the originals opening.
Historical charts
A year ago - The Hunger Games: Catching Fire managed to hold onto the top of the box office with the highest new film entering at 3 in the shape of Free Birds.
Five years ago - The Twilight Saga: New Moon stayed at the top leaving Paranormal Activity to enter the chart at 2.
Ten years ago - Staying at the top was The Incredibles with the top new film The Forgotten entering the box office at 3.
Fifteen years ago - The World Is Not Enough was the big new film entering at the top of the box office, it ended The Sixth Sense's run at the top.
