The movie adaptation of Michael Bond's marmalade-loving Paddington bear stories fended off box office competition for a second weekend in the UK, triumphing over two significant challengers for the family holiday movie crown. 'Paddington''s chief new competitors were the animated spin-off 'Penguins of Madagascar' and the starry, warmly reviewed 'Get Santa', plus seasonal rereleases of 'Frozen' and 'The Polar Express'. But 'Paddington' only lost 25 percent of its box office take, reaching £10.3 million over just 10 days.

Ben Whishaw provides the voice for Paddington Bear
Ben Whishaw provides the voice for Paddington Bear

Film industry analysts have been surprised by 'Paddington''s robust performance, noting its potential franchise-launching possibilities. And since it's not a specifically Christmas-themed movie, it has a chance of carrying on in cinemas into the New Year. This is unlikely with 'Get Santa' or the third British holiday hit 'Nativity 3: Dude Where's My Donkey?!'

More: Read The Review For 'Paddington'

Meanwhile, supermarkets have noticed a bump in sales for marmalade after 'Paddington' opened on 28 November. Indeed, after years of declining interest, Waitrose has reported an 88 percent surge in sales as well as more traffic to its marmalade recipes online. And top marmalade brand Robertson's has knowingly teamed up with the film producers to release a series of 'Paddington' themed jars.

Watch The Trailer For 'Paddington' here:


For the grown-ups, there has even been a surge in marmalade cocktails, including Paddington's Demise, which is served at Jamie Oliver's Fifteen restaurant in London. 

More: 'Paddington' Storms The UK Box Office