Zac Efron, the 21-year-old star of the "High School Musical" mega-hit series of films broke out and "graduated" with a winning opening for his new film comedy "17 Again."
The comic high school time-swap feature, which costars Matthew Perry, earned $24.1 million, according to the studio estimates from box office tracking service Nielsen EDI.
"17 Again" marked another No.1 spot debut for Efron, who helped boost ticket sales with an appearance last weekend on NBC's Saturday Night Live.
In 2007, the musical "Hairspray," which co-starred Efron, opened first at $27.5 million. Last year, Efron's "High School Musical 3: Senior Year" debuted with a solid $42 million.
In the film Mike O'Donnell (Perry) is a regretful 37-year-old with an estranged wife, a stalled career and a strained relationship with his kids. One night, after an accidental plummet into the Los Angeles River, Mike suddenly finds himself in a body swap with his younger 17-year-old self. Efron is young Mike, a high school senior who now gets a chance to rewrite his life and fix everything that once went wrong. The film also stars Melora Hardin, Leslie Mann, and Thomas Lennon.
Efron grew up in Southern California and began acting in his early teens, making his way into guest-starring roles on the TV shows E.R. and Firefly. He played an autistic twin in the made-for-cable movie Miracle Run (2004, with Aidan Quinn) and starred as a reluctant jockey in the formulaic racehorce flick The Derby Stallion in 2005. The same year he joined the cast of Summerland, as Cameron Bale and he became an instant hit with young female fans.
He took another heartfelt teen role in the 2006 Disney cable movie High School Musical (with Vanessa Anne Hudgens and Ashley Tisdale); the movie was a surprise hit and Efron starred in sequels in 2007 and 2008. He also played the role of Link Larkin in the 2007 big screen musical remake of John Waters's Hairspray starring John Travolta and Amanda Bynes.
Photo courtesy of Warner Brothers Studios.
