The weekend's box office threw up somewhat of a surprise this week, with the Texas Chainsaw franchise showing no signs of abating - its latest incarnation, 3D - did the best business, taking $23,000,000. It was a solid average of $8,666 per screen, which was enough to see off the threat of Quentin Tarantino's latest flick Django Unchained, which has scored near unanimous praise from critics.

It seemed that cinemagoers' preferred method of curing their January blues was a generous serving of violence, and Texas Chainsaw and Django finished way ahead of Peter Jackson's fantasy adventure The Hobbit. The horror flick - which scored a dismal 21% on Rotten Tomatoes - had its biggest day on Friday though went downhill afterwards, however, it remained at No.1 on Sunday. Next up was Les Miserables with $16 million, though it's still working to recoup its huge $103 million budget. Parental Guidance took $10 million after a budget of $52 million, while Jack Reacher, This Is 40, Lincoln, The Guilt Trip and Promised Land rounded out the Top 10. The latter was arguably the success story of the week, taking just over $4 million to basically recoup its entire budget. Gus Van Sant's movie stars Matt Damon as a salesman for a natural gas company who experiences life-changing events after arriving in a small town. Reviews have been mixed, though USA Today suggested it features one of Damon's finest ever performances.

Texas Chainsaw 3D will struggle to retain the No.1 spot this coming weekend, with Ryan Gosling's Gangster Squad and Marlon Wayans' A Haunted House set for release. Django Unchained is likely to continue its strong run.

Watch the trailer for Django Unchained below: