The epic battle tale "Kingdom of Heaven" fought its way to the top of the box office, taking in $20 million in its debut weekend, but the film did little to boost slumping revenues at the start of the summer movie season.

The film by "Gladiator" director Ridley Scott features heartthrob Orlando Bloom as a warrior in Jerusalem between the Second and Third Crusades. The R-rated movie was followed in the rankings by another new R-rated movie, "House of Wax," which brought in $12.2 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

"Kingdom of Heaven" features Bloom as blacksmith-turned-warrior Balian who joins his knightly father in Jerusalem. The film also features Liam Neeson as Balian's father, the knight Godfrey of Ibelin, as well as Jeremy Irons and Brendan Gleeson.

"House of Wax," featuring Elisha Cuthbert and Paris Hilton in a remake of the Vincent Price horror tale, is the latest from producer Joel Silver's Dark Castle Entertainment.

The other notable new movie this weekend was "Crash," which features Don Cheadle, Sandra Bullock, Matt Dillon and rapper Chris "Ludacris" Bridges in intertwining stories examining racial stereotypes in Los Angeles. The R-rated film played in 1,864 theaters and finished fourth with $9.1 million.