17 Again Laughs its Way to B.O. Victory

Moviegoers opted for laughs over drama as comedy 17 Again starring Zac Efron topped the box office this weekend, taking in an estimated $24 million and handily beating second-place opener State of Play.

State of Play, a Universal release starring Russell Crowe and Ben Afflect, took in $14 million, edging out third-place finisher Monsters vs. Aliens‘ $12.9 million weekend.

DreamWorks Animation certainly has reason to be pleased with the performance of Monsters vs. Aliens, which finished its fourth weekend of release. Its domestic gross has topped $162 million and has shown strong appeal overseas, where its cumulative gross is now at $126 million.

Trailing right behind Monsters were Hannah Montana: The Movie and Fast & Furious, with the weekend’s other major opener, Crank: High Voltage, coming in sixth place with $6.5 million.