So guess who won this weekend’s box office – no, it’s not who you think. Despite early estimates, Disney’s animated, futuristic adventure has beaten Interstellar and its all-star cast. Domestically, both films performed well, topping the $50 million mark. The critically praised Big Hero 6, which takes place in a future world, made a stellar (get it?) $56 million in the US, while Interstellar fell back with just over $50 million.

Anne Hathaway, Interstellar
Everyone's a winner in this weekend's box office race.

It was an overall success for the Anne Hathaway starrer, however, as the movie topped the global box office with  $79,2 million over its debut weekend, according to  Box Office Mojo.

According to industry experts, namely senior analyst Paul Dergarabedian, speaking for BBC News, both films were able to do so well because they play to different audiences.

More: Read Rich Cline's review of Interstellar here.

Overall, the US box office has slipped since the same time last year. Interstellar, a space saga about a group of astronauts searching for a habitable planet after the earth has been all but destroyed, is being compared to a similar epic from last year – Alfonso Cuaron’s Gravity.

Watch the trailer for Big Hero 6 below.

 

According to insiders, the movie is likely to enjoy another worldwide sales boost when it opens in China on Wednesday, with the marketing strategy targeting families and young men as the most likely market share.

 

The rest of the box office looks familiar from last week. Gone Girl stays put at number 3 with $6,1 million domestic, while Ouija and St. Vincent take fourth and fifth with $6 and $5,7 million respectively. Does this mean the pre-holiday box office revival is on its way? Hollywood is betting  on it.