The winner: Paddington 2

Despite declining by 37% from the previous session, Paddington 2 returns to the top spot. Takings of £2.88m push the little bear’s tally to £26.9m after 24 days. That compares with £18.1m for the original Paddington movie at the same stage of its run three years ago.

The sequel is 49% ahead of the pace set by Paddington, suggesting it could reach a total of about £56m. Predicting such a feat assumes that this time around the audience has proved more early adoptive than in the case of the original film. Working in its favour is the fact that Paddington 2 was released earlier in the calendar (10 November against 28 November) and will benefit from extra play in the run-up to Christmas.

The challenger: Wonder

Although wide new release Wonder reached only No 4 – behind Paddington 2, Daddy’s Home 2 and Justice League – the inspirational family drama earned honours as the top new film. Adapted from RJ Palacio’s novel and starring Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson and Room’s young Jacob Tremblay, it began with a decent £1.24m from 537 cinemas.

Wonder debuted in the US in November with $27.5m, for which an equivalent UK result – by industry rule of thumb – would be around £2.7m. However, Palacio’s book is better known in the US, and the UK was never likely to achieve proportional success. The film has grossed $88m in the US and only $13m in other territories, albeit with many yet to open.

The other wide new release was The Man Who Invented Christmas, starring Dan Stevens as Charles Dickens being inspired to write A Christmas Carol. Released optimistically into 378 cinemas, the festive comedy-drama began with a poor £168,000 and an anaemic £445 average.

The strong hold: Thor: Ragnarok

In its sixth week, Thor: Ragnarok defies gravity with a 4% drop from the previous session, the smallest decline of any film in the Top 10. The Marvel title’s haul of £579,000 pushes the tally so far to £30.2m. Thor: Ragnarok is the eighth film so far this year to crack £30m, joining Beauty and the Beast, Dunkirk, Despicable Me 3, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2, It, Spider-Man: Homecoming and La La Land. Paddington 2 will be the ninth and Star Wars: The Last Jedi 10th. In 2016, 11 titles achieved this feat.

The platform hit: The Disaster Artist

Released into only 22 London cinemas, James Franco’s The Disaster Artist debuts with a nifty £105,000, delivering a site average of £4,751, the highest of any film in the Top 30. Previews push the tally to £130,000. Warners expands the film to a full national release on 6 December. The Disaster Artist tells the story of the making of 2003 drama The Room, now celebrated as the most misguided movie ever made.

Franco’s film outgrossed top new arthouse release Happy End, directed by Michael Haneke and starring Isabelle Huppert. The French family drama began with a so-so £91,000 from 49 cinemas, or £136,000 including previews. Haneke’s previous film Amour began in November 2012 with £116,000 from 29 cinemas, including £8,000 in previews, and its final tally was an impressive £887,000.

The market

Figures are in for November and show a sturdy 15% rise on November 2016. Mark that success down to Paddington 2. For the first 11 months of the year, box office is running 4% ahead of the same period in 2016 – a strong result when you consider that in the US 2017 box office is down on the equivalent 2016 period.

The first half of December looks set to be weaker than a year ago, but The Last Jedi arrives on 14 December, and cinemas can be confident that it will outgross last year’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Pitch Perfect 3, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and Boxing Day’s The Greatest Showman should all play their part in giving 2017 a late flourish.

Top 10 films, 3-5 December

1. Paddington 2, £2,883,617 from 652 sites. Total: £26,903,226 (four weeks)

2. Daddy’s Home 2, £1,945,640 from 537 sites. Total: £7,879,672 (two weeks)

3. Justice League, £1,486,953 from 561 sites. Total: £15,554,643 (three weeks)

4. Wonder, £1,240,245 from 537 sites (new)

5. Murder on the Orient Express, £824,494 from 536 sites. Total: £22,127,760 (five weeks)

6. Thor: Ragnarok, £578,606 from 375 sites. Total: £30,194,221 (six weeks)

7. A Bad Moms Christmas, £338,089 from 363 sites. Total: £7,407,722 (five weeks)

8. Battle of the Sexes, £221,996 from 389 sites. Total: £1,127,064 (two weeks)

9. The Star, £176,362 from 447 sites. Total: £432,706 (two weeks)

10. The Man Who Invented Christmas, £168,137 from 378 sites (new)

Other openers

The Nutcracker – Bolshoi Ballet, £160,421 from 135 sites

Happy End, £135,682 (including £44,798 previews) from 49 sites

The Disaster Artist, £130,238 (including £25,720 previews) from 22 sites

Firangi, £20,376 from 16 sites

Thiruttu Payale 2, £5,272 from 11 sites

Most Beautiful Island, £4,884 from six sites

Annadurai, £1,759 from five sites

Love, Cecil, £1,397 from two sites

The Myths, £706 from eight sites

• Thanks to comScore. All figures relate to takings in UK and Ireland cinemas.