Box Office: ’17 Again’ takes $24M at No. 1

Weekend of April 17 – 19, 2009

Zac Efron’s latest teenage comedy “17 Again” slashed its competition at the North American box office this weekend with $24 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Directed by Burr Steers, the film follows a 37-year-old man who despises his existence and gets to relive his past as a 17-year-old. Leslie Mann, Thomas Lennon and Michelle Trachtenberg co-star.

Debuting in second place with $14 million was Kevin Macdonald’s thriller “State of Play,” which stars Russell Crowe as a print journalist who launches his own investigation into the murder of a congressman’s assistant. Ben Affleck, Helen Mirren and Rachel McAdams round out the lead cast.

Things didn’t turned out as well for “Crank: High Voltage,” the week’s third wide release. The action sequel starring Jason Statham opened at No. 6 with only $6.5 million, which is about half the opening weekend gross of its predecessor.

Meanwhile, DreamWorks Animation’s “Monsters vs. Aliens” collected $12.9 million in third place, lifting its total gross to $162.7 million after a strong four-week run. Following closely at No. 4 with $12.6 million was “Hannah Montana: The Movie,” which brought its domestic total to $56.1 million.

Justin Lin’s sequel “Fast & Furious” slipped to fifth place with $12.2 million, reaching a cumulative gross of $136.7 million after only three weeks in release. Seth Rogen’s latest comedy “Observe and Report” dropped to No. 7, picking up $4 million for a total haul of $18.6 million.

At the bottom of the top 10, Nicolas Cage’s thriller “Knowing” took home $3.4 million, bringing its total gross to $73.6 million after a five-week run. “I Love You, Man” finished eighth with a weekend gross of $3.3 million and a cume of $64.6 million.

Finally, “The Haunting in Connecticut” tumbled to No. 10, pulling $3.1 million for a domestic total of $51.9 million after four weeks in release.

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