By David Germain
The Associated Press

Fright maestro M. Night Shyamalan debuted at No. 1 with The Village, a tale of an isolated town menaced by bogey men in the woods that had a $50.8 million opening weekend.

The Village bumped off The Bourne Supremacy, which slipped to No. 2 with $23.4 million, bringing its 10-day total to $98 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Denzel Washington's remake of The Manchurian Candidate opened at No. 3 with $20.2 million. The update of the 1962 assassination thriller co-stars Meryl Streep.

The weekend's other wide releases flopped. Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, about two stoned pals on a comic quest for burgers, premiered at No. 7 with $5.15 million. The family sci-fi saga Thunderbirds, featuring Ben Kingsley and Bill Paxton in an update of the cult TV series, debuted at No. 11 with $2.7 million.

The industry enters the summer homestretch on a solid run, with three straight movies - I, Robot, The Bourne Supremacy and The Village - debuting with more than $50 million. Coming Friday is Tom Cruise's thriller Collateral, and the following weekend brings the sequel Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement.

The Village is Shyamalan's second-best debut behind the $60.1 million opening for Signs in 2002. Shyamalan's top-grossing film, The Sixth Sense, debuted with an unremarkable $26.7 million but gradually climbed to blockbuster status with $293.5 million.

The movie, whose ensemble cast includes Joaquin Phoenix, William Hurt and Bryce Dallas Howard, broke a string of duds for distributor Disney, whose releases include the bombs The Alamo and Around the World in 80 Days.

"It makes it so much more fun. I'm sitting in the office right now, and I can't tell you how thrilled I am," said Chuck Viane, Disney head of distribution.

Garden State, from writer, director and star Zach Braff, opened strongly in limited release with $185,000 at just nine theaters.

Shrek 2 took in $1.3 million to pad its total to $432.4 million, passing Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace to become No. 4 on the all-time domestic chart.