A Scary Time for ‘Blair Witch 2’ as It Struggles to No. 2

“Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2,” the sequel to last year’s no-budget phenomenon, appears to be a case of been there, done that better before. Even with an extra-wide 3,317-theater debut, the modestly budgeted “BW2” was unable to cast a spell over the weekend and wrest the No. 1 box office spot away from the 4-week-old comedy “Meet the Parents.”

The first weekend gross on “BW2” was estimated at a moderate $13.1 million. Attendance midday Saturday in Century City, for example, was low, with the theater reportedly only one-third full. Audience reaction (mainly patrons in their mid-20s due to the film’s R rating) was mixed; those interviewed didn’t seem to have been attracted in any significant way through the “Blair Witch” Web site, a key marketing tool on the first film.

The winner and still champion is the fall blockbuster “Meet the Parents,” the first film to remain at the top of the charts for an entire month since last year’s “The Sixth Sense.” The comedy earned about $15.1 million over the weekend in 2,645 theaters, an unheard-of drop of only 6% from the previous weekend. It’s now at the $100-million mark with enough of a head of steam to carry it through Thanksgiving.

Two other films debuted over the weekend, and the news was not good on either.

The dark comedy “Lucky Numbers” continued John Travolta’s streak of misfortune after last May’s disastrous “Battlefield Earth” with a terrible $4.6 million expected in its first weekend on 2,497 screens.

The family-oriented comedy “The Little Vampire” didn’t have much bite either, grossing only $5.5 million in 2,009 theaters. Given its subject matter, it looks to make a hasty exit too.

The continuing strong presence of “Meet the Parents” and “Remember the Titans” kept the weekend box office totals from sinking. “Titans” is still gaining yardage with an expected $8 million in its fifth weekend in 2,803 theaters, totaling nearly $88 million to date.

According to the box office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations, business improved again this weekend, with the top 12 films grossing more than $70 million, almost 29% higher than last Halloween weekend. That should pull the year’s cumulative total almost even with last year.

Nonetheless, it has been a lean fall. Other than the season’s two big hits, the only other film to make a solid impression has been “The Exorcist,” which is headed for about $40 million, better than any reissue save for the “Star Wars” films. The remaining releases all grossed in the $30-million area or less.

The situation could change dramatically with the first crush of holiday films, starting with this Friday’s release of the big-screen version of “Charlie’s Angels” and the adult drama “The Legend of Bagger Vance,” starring Matt Damon and Will Smith.

Second-weekend results on “Bedazzled” were less than eye-popping as the infernal comedy starring Brendan Fraser dropped 41% to about $7.7 million in 2,570 theaters and a moderately good total of $24 million in 10 days. The sentimental drama “Pay It Forward,” which got off to somewhat a sluggish start, held on slightly better, eroding only 29% to an estimated $6.9 million in 2,130 theaters and an OK two-week total of $19.1 million.

The remaining films in the top 10 included the political drama “The Contender,” which held nicely with a reported $2.5 million in 1,639 theaters and about $14 million so far; Jackie Chan’s “The Legend of Drunken Master” stumbled to $2.3 million in 1,345 theaters and about $7 million in two weeks; and the canine competition mockumentary “Best in Show” scored $1.8 million in 497 theaters for $9.2 million so far.

Among limited-release films, “Billy Elliot” remains the standout performer. Still on only 37 screens, it grossed $558,000 this weekend--an average of $15,000 a theater, an increase of 15% from last weekend. Its total take so far is $1.6 million. “Billy” goes out slightly wider next weekend in hopes of capturing some early holiday cheer.

The unrated “Requiem for a Dream” is still on four screens and also averaged better than $15,000 a theater, for a weekend total of $52,000, and $352,000 to date. “Dream” will also fan out wider this coming weekend.

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Times staff writer Jordan Raphael contributed to this article.