By Franck Tabouring
Weekend of October 24 – 26

Walt Disney’s “High School Musical 3: Senior Year” took center stage at the North American box office this weekend with an impressive $42 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The third installment in the popular series opened at 3,623 locations Friday, easily dominating its competition all weekend long. Starring Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens, the musical follows Troy and his gang as they gear up to graduate from high school and prep for college.

Debuting in second place with $30.5 million was David Hackl’s horror sequel “Saw V,” which almost matched its predecessor’s opening weekend gross of $31.7 million. The blood-laden film follows a detective who tries to uncover the identity of the late Jigsaw’s ruthless successor.

At No. 3, John Moore’s video game adaptation “Max Payne” collected $7.6 million, lifting its domestic total to $29.6 million. Starring Mark Wahlberg, the film follows a grieving detective who struggles to hunt down those responsible for the murder of his family.

Following closely in fourth place with $6.9 million was Disney’s hit family comedy “Beverly Hills Chihuahua,” which reached a cumulative gross of 78.1 million after four weeks in release.

Meanwhile, new entry “Pride and Glory” opened at No. 5 with $6.3 million. The Gavin O’Connor-directed crime drama stars Edward Norton as NYPD detective who discover his brother-in-law (Colin Farrell) use the power of the law to engage in illegal activities.

“The Secret Life of Bees” dropped to No. 6, pulling $5.9 million and bringing its total haul to $19.2 million after a two-week release. Dakota Fanning plays a young girl who flees her home and finds shelter with an African-American family of beekeepers.

Oliver Stone’s “W.” finished seventh this weekend with $5.3 million. The film, about the life and career of President George W. Bush, brought its domestic total to $18.7 million. Following with $5.1 million at No. 8 was D.J. Caruso’s “Eagle Eye,” which reached a total of $87.9 million after five weeks in release.

Two films rounded out the top 10 this weekend: Ridley Scott’s thriller “Body of Lies” with $4 million at No. 9, followed by Screen Gems’ horror flick “Quarantine” with earnings of $2.5 million.

Source: Box Office Mojo (www.boxofficemojo.com)