The Theory of Everything overtakes The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies to top UK box office

The film took £3.7 million in its first week

Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones play husband and wife Stephen Hawking and Jane Wilde in The Theory of Everything (Universal)

The Theory of Everything, starring Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones, has soared to the top of the UK box office.

The Stephen Hawking biopic has overtaken The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies' four week reign after earning £3.7 million in its first week.

The film’s debut has proved more successful than rival British biopic The Imitation Game starring Benedict Cumberbatch, which opened with £2.7 million when it landed in November.

Based on the memoir by Hawking’s first wife Jane Wilde, The Theory of Everything follows the love story of the young couple as the scientist’s Motor Neurone Diseases begins to take its toll on their family.

The biopic has been nominated for four Golden Globe awards, and is expected to earn a number of Oscar nods when the nominations are announced later this month.

Elsewhere at the UK box office, Paddington continued to perform well in third place earning another £2.8 million.

The Woman in Black: Angel of Death took £2.4 million in its opening week to become the third British film in the top four.

Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb rounded off the top five with £1.7 million.

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