Texas Chainsaw 3D, directed by John Luessenhop, debuted at number one with takings of $23 million (£14.4 million), replacing Peter Jackson's fantasy epic The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in pole position.
The Lord of the Rings prequel, which had held on to the number one position for three weeks since its release in December (12), fell to third place with $17.5 million (£10.9 million), behind Quentin Tarantino's spaghetti western Django Unchained at two, grossing $20.1 million (£12.5 million).
Movie musical Les Miserables and family comedy Parental Guidance round out the top five at fourth and fifth place, respectively.
