BEIJING, April 25 -- "SILENT Hill," a horror film based on a video game, replaced comedy spoof "Scary Movie 4" as the top choice for North American moviegoers during last weekend, according to studio figures issued Sunday.

    The new champ, starring Australia's Radha Mitchell as a mother who loses her troubled daughter in a creepy West Virginia mining town, sold about US$20.2 million worth of tickets since opening Friday.

    "Scary Movie 4" followed with US$17 million for the three-day period, taking its total to US$67.7 million after two weekends.

    "The Sentinel," a thriller starring Michael Douglas as a renegade Secret Service agent who must thwart a presidential assassination attempt, opened at No. 3 with US$14.7 million.

    "Silent Hill" was released by TriStar Pictures, a Sony Corp. unit specializing in low-budget films. It paid US$14 million for the right to distribute the film throughout the Americas. It will break even in the mid-US$20 million range, said Rory Bruer, Sony's president of domestic theatrical distribution.

    The movie plays primarily to males under 25, Bruer said.

    (Source: Shenzhen Daily/Agencies)