After a string of duds and bad choices, Disney finally scores their elusive summer blockbuster hit with M. Night Shymalan's The Village.

On a recent promotional outing, the secretive scary-movie director expressed concern that his latest spook flick might not do as good at the box office as he would want it to. Not very assuring words for the folks at Disney, who already took some big lumps for dropping the unexpected blockbuster hit of the summer Fahrenheit 9/11, which topped the $100 million mark last week.

Well, M. Night can rest easy now that his latest creeper has scared up box office reciepts in a major way, taking in $50.8 million.

Not only did The Village trump The Bourne Supremacy and The Manchurian Candidate, but it topped the opening weekend totals of Disney's last three summer duds: Around the World in 80 Days, Home on the Range, and King Arthur.

The Village also dethroned Disney's mega-hit Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, which was the previous July release champ with a $46.6 million opening take.