The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 brought in an estimated $56.9m through Lionsgate over Thanksgiving weekend to reach $225.7m after two sessions as The Imitation Game scored a sensational limited debut.

Combined with $254.4m from international markets Mockingjay – Part 1 stands at $480.1m worldwide.

Lionsgate sources said the result was the third biggest five-day Thanksgiving in history and means the studio has held top berth over the holiday weekend for four years in a row.

Its previous three champions were Catching Fire and before that Breaking Dawn – Part 2 and Breaking Dawn – Part 1 from the Twilight franchise.

The Imitation Game starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley stormed into active duty through TWC, grossing $482,000 from four venues for a $120,500 per-site average.

Morten Tyldum directed the true wartime tale of the team that cracked the Nazi’s Enigma code led by Alan Turing, the so-called father of computers who was prosecuted after the war for being gay and took his own life in 1954.

DreamWorks Animation’s Penguins Of Madagascar opened in second place through Fox on $25.8m, rising to $36m through the extended holiday weekend.

The Warner Bros comedy sequel Horrible Bosses 2 starring Jason Bateman, Jennifer Aniston, Christoph Waltz, Kevin Spacey and Jason Sudeikis arrived at number four on $15.7m from 3,375 theatres.

The opening weekend dropped 47.5% against the $29.9m inflation-adjusted against number two debut of the original in July 2011. That film’s official opening weekend was $28.3m.

Focus Features’ The Theory Of Everything climbed three spots to number seven on $5.1m from 802 sites for $9.6m after four sessions. The strong awards contender expanded by 662 venues.

Australian horror film The Babadook opened in three theatres through IFC for $27.000.

Overall the $155.6m weekend for the top 12 fell 20% against the Thanksgiving 2013 session, which generated $194.6m for the top 12, and dropped 16.7% against last weekend.

Estimated Top 10 North America Nov 28-30, 2014
Film (Dist) / Est wkd gross / Est total to date

1 (1) The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 (Lionsgate) Lionsgate International $56.9m $225.7m

2 (-) Penguins Of Madagascar (Fox-Dreamworks Animation) Fox International $25.8m $36m

3 (2) Big Hero 6 (Buena Vista) WDSMPI $18.8m $167.2m

4 (3) Interstellar (Paramount) Warner Bros Pictures International $15.8m $147.1m

5 (-) Horrible Bosses 2 (Warner Bros) WBPI $15.7m $23m

6 (4) Dumb And Dumber To (Universal) Red Granite International/Universal $8.3m $72.2m

7 (10) The Theory Of Everything (Focus) Universal Pictures International $5.1m $9.6m

8 (5) Gone Girl (Fox) Fox International $2.5m $160.8m

9 (9) Birdman (Fox Searchlight) Fox International $1.9m $17.2m

10 (7) St. Vincent (TWC) TWC International $1.8m $39.3m