`STIGMATA' TOPS LIST; OH, THE HORROR! `SIXTH SENSE' NUDGED OUT OF FIRST PLACE AT THEATERS.

Byline: Dave McNary Staff Writer

The supernatural continued to hold sway at the nation's multiplexes as ``Stigmata'' edged out ``The Sixth Sense'' with a better-than-expected $18.5 million at 2,899 theaters during the Friday-Sunday period in the first weekend following the record-setting summer, studio sources said Sunday.

``Stigmata,'' MGM's tale of demonic possession with echoes of ``The Exorcist,'' pulled the plug on the five-week winning streak by ``The Sixth Sense'' by taking advantage of the sizzling market for horror movies. ``It was the right movie at the right time,'' said industry tracker Arthur Rockwell, a former MGM executive.

``Stigmata,'' with a reported $30 million budget, became the fifth horror film in the past two months to meet or exceed forecasts following ``The Blair Witch Project,'' ``The Haunting,'' ``Deep Blue Sea'' and ``The Sixth Sense.'' The quintet has grossed about $515 million; ``Stigmata'' is likely to wind up its domestic run with $60 million, according to Robert Bucksbaum, president of the Reel Source tracking service.

``What we're seeing is that these horror films don't cannibalize each other,'' Bucksbaum said. ``They play off each other so when one sells out at a multiplex, people are likely to go see the other one.''

Bucksbaum also credited long-suffering MGM - which has scored its first box office victory since 1996's ``The Birdcage'' - with releasing an attention-grabbing trailer featuring lead actress Patricia Arquette in the throes of a takeover by evil spirits. ``Everyone is going to see these movies right now,'' he said.

Despite losing the top spot, Disney's ``Sixth Sense'' continued to post impressive results with $17 million at 2,782 theaters, down only 25 percent from the previous Friday-Sunday period, to push its overall take to $198.2 million. The tale of a haunted 8-year-old boy replaced ``Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade'' for 29th place on the all-time list.

Horror-hungry moviegoers also offered moderate support to Artisan's opening of ``Stir of Echoes,'' which finished a distant third with $6.2 million at 1,888 theaters. ``Echoes,'' a murder mystery with Kevin Bacon's character acquiring paranormal powers, gave the top three films an impressive 55 percent of the market.

``I can't recall a time when three films that were this similar have done this well,'' Bucksbaum noted.

The trio of chillers lifted overall box office to $75 million, or 37 percent up from the same weekend last year when ``Rounders'' led with $8.5 million. They also kept up Hollywood's hot streak, with year-to-date grosses now topping $5.1 billion to lead the same period of 1998 by about 8 percent.

``This is normally one of the slowest weekends of the year since there's so much attention on going back to school,'' Rockwell noted. ``The aggressive demand for product by audiences continues to be phenomenal.''

Holdovers took the remaining slots in the top 10, led by a continued solid performance from Paramount's ``Runaway Bride'' with $3.9 million at 2,773 theaters in its seventh weekend. That pulled the 45-day ``Bride'' total to $140.5 million, replacing ``Deep Impact'' as the 82nd-highest domestic grosser of all time.

TOP MOVIES

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at North American theaters:

1. ``Stigmata,'' $18.5 million.

2. ``The Sixth Sense,'' $17 million.

3. ``Stir of Echoes,'' $6.2 million.

4. ``Runaway Bride,'' $3.9 million.

5. ``Bowfinger,'' $3.7 million.

6. ``The 13th Warrior,'' $2.9 million.

6. ``The Thomas Crown Affair,'' $2.8 million.

8. ``Mickey Blue Eyes,'' $2.3 million.

9. ``Chill Factor,'' $1.9 million.

10. ``The Blair Witch Project,'' $1.6 million.

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Box: Top movies (see text)