Efron Passes His First Test

Zac Efron (pictured with Thomas Lennon) can relax..He was able to charm his tween fan base with his turn in the time warp comedy 17 Again enough to score a very solid win at #1 this weekend...



Pamela McClintock of Variety:

New Line and Warner Bros. continued their winning streak at the box office as Zac Efron starrer "17 Again" grossed an estimated $24.1 million to place No. 1 at the domestic box office on the strength of younger femmes.

"17 Again," playing in 3,255 runs, was an original New Line title. Warner Bros. took over marketing and distribution when New Line was disbanded as a stand-alone studio and made a production label within the WB fold.

Placing No. 2 at the domestic B.O. was Universal's Russell Crowe thriller-drama "State of Play," which grossed an estimated $14.1 million from 2,803 screens. U says it is pleased with the pic's performance. Overseas--where adult-skewing dramas have fared better in recent months--"State of Play" opened to No. 1 in the three territories where it opened, including Spain.

Lionsgate's sequel "Crank: High Voltage" came in lower than expected, grossing an estimated $6.5 million from 2,223 locations.

Among holdovers, DreamWorks Animation and Paramount's "Monsters vs. Aliens" held at No. 3 for the second weekend in a row. 3-D toon, benefiting from the final week of spring vacations, grossed an estimated $13 million from 3,662 screens in its fourth sesh for a domestic cume of $162.7 million.

As expected, "17 Again" took a big bite out of Disney's "Hannah Montana: The Movie," which fell a steep 61% in its second sesh to $12.7 million from 3,118 runs for a domestic cume of $56.1 million its first 10 days in release. Being a fan-based movie, the Mouse House foresaw a sizeable decline. Pic placed No. 4 for the weekend.

U's Seth Rogen starrer "Observe and Report" also saw a big dip in its second weekend, coming in No. 7. Dark comedy declined 63% to an estimated $4.1 million for a cume $18.7 million from 2,727 screens in its first 10 days...

Josh Rottenberg of EW:

Fueled by a hefty dose of tweener love, Zac Efron's 17 Again won this weekend's box office sweepstakes without breaking a sweat..

The big question now is...Can the film win again next week? With no real tween demo competition...Zac just might have a shot at doing so until the summer blockbuster onslaught begins a week later...