300: Rise of an Empire had a storming first weekend of release during which the new fantasy action film raked in $45 million. The Zack Snyder-directed sequel battled off competition from Dreamworks' animated Mr. Peabody & Sherman, which took a rather disappointing $32.2 million, as well as the Liam Neeson thriller Non-Stop and the fantastically successful The Lego Movie.

300: Rise Of An Empire
'300: Rise Of An Empire' Has Walloped All Competition Over Its First Box Office Weekend.

300's victory may have been trumpeted but its success falls short of its predecessor's $70 million debut seven years ago and the film hasn't exactly fared well at the hands of critics. Nevertheless, the movie enjoyed a healthy opening with 3D representing 63% of all tickets sold, according to Forbes. As the only R-rated movie currently on release, 300 stands to continue its success for several weeks with only Arnold Schwarzenegger's thriller Sabotage set to pose any threat when it arrives on the 28th March.

Watch The '300: Rise Of An Empire' Trailer:

Meanwhile, Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel enjoyed a promising opening of its own despite a very limited release and 12 Years a Slave rocketed upwards 116.3% in the charts owing to last weekend's Oscars success. Next weekend's Need For Speed release should also pose a threat to 300 but it may not be enough to dethrone Snyder's blockbuster due to its largely unknown cast.

Mr. Peabody & Sherman
'Mr. Peabody & Sherman' Was Taken For A Rough Ride By '300.'

Starring Eva Green, Lena Headey, Sullivan Stapleton and Radrigo Santoro, 300: Rise of an Empire will appeal to those who found the constant gore and ear-splittingly loud action of the first film exciting. 300: Rise of an Empire is released in cinemas now.