‘House on Haunted Hill’ Scares Competition

The glitzy and gory “House on Haunted Hill” trick-or-treated its way to the top of the weekend box office, debuting with $15.1 million, according to industry estimates Sunday.

The fright film, starring Geoffrey Rush, Famke Janssen and plenty of blood and digital wizardry, had a chilling effect on other movies, which trailed far behind. Last weekend’s top movie, “The Best Man,” came in at No. 2 with $6.5 million.

The only other movie to open widely this weekend was “Music of the Heart,” starring Meryl Streep in the autobiographical story of Roberta Guaspari, who started a violin program for poor children in East Harlem in New York. “Music of the Heart” debuted at No. 5 with $3.7 million playing in 1,349 theaters, about half as many as “House on Haunted Hill.”

“Double Jeopardy” slipped one spot to third place, taking in $5.4 million. The top moneymaker so far among fall releases, “Double Jeopardy” has grossed $98.3 million in just over five weeks.

The critically acclaimed “American Beauty,” though dropping $1.3 million from last weekend, actually climbed two spots in the rankings to No. 4. The film took in $3.9 million this weekend, raising its total gross to $54.2 million in seven weeks.

The special-effects-laden “House on Haunted Hill” is a remake of director William Castle’s campy classic from 1958, which starred Vincent Price. The film centers on a group of people who are offered $1 million each to spend a night in a haunted house.

The new version received generally poor reviews reminiscent of last summer’s high-tech ghost story, “The Haunting.”

“It was not meant to be an Academy Award contender, but it’s the perfect movie for Halloween weekend,” said Robert Bucksbaum, a movie analyst for Reel Source Inc.

Shot on a relatively low budget of $15 million, the movie grossed its basic production costs in a single weekend.

Two films that opened in limited release this weekend posted strong numbers. “Being John Malkovich,” the bizarre tale of a puppeteer who finds a portal into actor Malkovich’s mind, took in about $650,000 playing in 25 theaters, averaging around $26,000 a screen, according to a survey of theater chains by Reel Source. The movie stars John Cusack, Cameron Diaz and Malkovich playing himself.

“Princess Mononoke,” an animated blockbuster in Japan, grossed $140,000 on eight screens, averaging about $17,500 a theater. The U.S. version features the voices of Billy Crudup, Claire Danes, Minnie Driver and Billy Bob Thornton.