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Zac Efron's body-switch comedy takes in $24.1 mil, easily outpacing''State of Play'' at box office.

Talk about a tired premise. It's difficult to imagine a more overworked plot device than the body swap. But stick a tween dream like Zac Efron in this drivel -- and suddenly the domestic box office dollars flow. So the New Line/Warner Bros' 17 Again opened to $10 million Friday from 3,255 theaters for No. 1 and a possible $28M weekend.

Teen prince Zac Efron aims to score his second number one opener in six months, but this time without the help of an established franchise, with the new comedy 17 Again. Boldly entering racy PG-13 territory, the Disney-bred superstar plays a thirtysomething man who is transformed into the body of a teenager. Matthew Perry plays the bigger version of the character. The New Line film is being released by Warner Bros. which will target teens and young adults but is also hoping to court the younger tween fans of the young actor despite the rating. 17 Again is essentially for.

'Gran Torino' holding strong in foreign markets -- Nicolas Cage's "Knowing" gained knowledge of first place at the international box office, topping a moderate frame with $9.8 million at 1,711 playdates in 10 markets.

By Joshua Rich
The 3-D animated event won the weekend box office, as ''The Haunting in Connecticut'' exceeded expectations

"Monsters vs. Aliens" got off to a monstrous start on Friday, with an estimated $16.8 million in first-day domestic boxoffice.

Summit Entertainment's Nicolas Cage starrer "Knowing" easily topped the weekend box office chart in debuting to an estimated $24.8 million, while "I Love You, Man" and "Duplicity" came in on the lower end of expectations.

1. Knowing (Summit) OPENER [3,332 Theaters] Fri $8.8M, Wkd est $25M
2. I Love You, Man (DW/Paramount) OPENER [2,711] Fri $6.2M, Wkd est $18.5M
3. Duplicity (Universal) OPENER [2,575] Fri $4.6M, Wkd est $14.3M

1. Race To Witch Mountain  (Disney) [3,187 theaters] $6.5M Friday, est $24M wkd
2. (Tied) Watchmen (Warner Bros) [3,611] $5.5M Friday, est $18M wkd
2. (Tied) Last House On The Left (Universal) [2,401] $5.5M Friday, est $15M wkd
Analysis coming...

After five consecutive frames of beating the 2008 box office, ticket sales this time may have a tough job keeping the streak alive. Looking to knock the superheroes of Watchmen out of the top spot is the artist formerly known as The Rock, Dwayne Johnson, who headlines the new Disney live-action film Race to Witch Mountain opening on Friday. A pair of debuting R-rated pics will target older audiences. Universal unleashes the horror entry The Last House on the Left while Fox Searchlight releases the weekend's only film not inspired by a 1970s classic with the comedy Miss March.