LOS ANGELES — The fright film "The Messengers," about a city family that moves into a creepy haunted house in the country, debuted as the top weekend movie with $14.5 million in ticket sales.

Opening in second place was Diane Keaton and Mandy Moore's mother-daughter comedy "Because I Said So," the Universal release taking in $13 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The latest in a string of horror hits from Sony, "The Messengers" bumped off the previous weekend's No. 1 flick, 20th Century Fox's "Epic Movie," which slipped to third place with $8.2 million, raising its 10-day total to $29.4 million.

1. "The Messengers," $14.5 million.

2. "Because I Said So," $13 million.

3. "Epic Movie," $8.2 million.

4. "Night at the Museum," $6.75 million.

5. "Smokin' Aces," $6.3 million.

6. "Stomp the Yard," $4.2 million.

7. "Dreamgirls," $4 million.

8. "Pan's Labyrinth," $3.7 million.

9. "The Pursuit of Happyness," $3.1 million.

10. "The Queen," $2.7 million.