Will Zac Win Without His Classmates?

I have a feeling that Zac Efron has his fingers crossed. right now..

His new film, 17 Again (reviews) opens, and while it's expected to win the weekend--I'm sure he is focused more on what folks are saying about his performance in a non High School Musical flick.

Meantime--The star-packed drama/thriller State of Play (reviews) tries to bring down Jason Statham's new actioner Crank High Voltage (reviews)...



Pamela McClintock and Dave McNary of Variety:

Warner Bros.' Zac Efron pic "17 Again" is expected to come in leaps and bounds ahead of other titles thanks to girls of all ages. Last weekend, this same demo turned out by the millions for "Hannah Montana: The Movie," which opened to a sizable $32.3 million.

Weekend's other new entry is Lionsgate's "Crank: High Voltage," which should do nicely based on tracking among males. Sequel reteams Jason Statham and Amy Smart.

The Friday box office is expected to see heavy traffic as spring break heads into its final weekend.

The specialty side sees 2008 festival favorite "Every Little Step." Sony Pictures Classics takes the film out in eight theaters in New York and Los Angeles. Documentary goes behind the scenes of "A Chorus Line" and brings together dancers who once performed in the show.

Universal is trying to manage expectations for "State of Play," whose high-profile cast also includes Ben Affleck and Rachel McAdams. Pic, based on the BBC miniseries, was produced by Universal and Working Title. It opens in 2,803 runs.

U is looking for "State of Play" to open in the range of last year's Russell Crowe-Leonardo DiCaprio political thriller "Body of Lies," which bowed to $12.9 million in October on its way to cuming $39.4 million domestically.

But "State of Play" could face a tough road. A number of films with heavy political undertones have failed to grab hold and break out. Box office observers say people are already bummed out enough.

"State of Play" cost $60 million to produce. Relativity Media co-financed the film. Crowe, who took on the role after Brad Pitt withdrew from the project, is rumored to have received a payday of $20 million

Joshua Rich of EW:

If you're a tween girl, this weekend at the movies is for you. If you're a regular person, you may want to sit it out...

Next Week: Robert Downey Jr. meets The Soloist (Jamie Foxx); Channing Tatum takes to Fighting for his new film: And Ali Larter becomes Obsessed with Idris Elba and movie wife Beyonce gets really pissed off.