Zac Efron film The Lucky One debuts at No.1 at Australian box office

Zac Efron in Australia promoting his new film The Lucky One. Picture: Adam Ward /

Neala Johnson, The Herald Sun, reports

The Australian box office was down 25 per cent overall on the weekend, the second consecutive drop after an Easter high.

Zac Efron’s The Lucky One was the only new entry to dent the Top 10.

Streetdance 2 landed at No.12 and the Aung San Suu Kyi biopic The Lady (showing on 23 screens) came in at No.15.

TOP 10 FILMS AT THE AUSSIE BOX OFFICE:

1. THE LUCKY ONE (M)

$2,280,613

Zac Efron promo trip leads to a bigger opening than fellow Nicholas Sparks adaptations Dear John ($1.7 million), The Notebook ($1.6 million) and Nights in Rodanthe ($1.4 million). The Lucky One enters at No.2 in the US with $21.8 million, the second best debut there for a Sparks movie behind Dear John.

2. BATTLESHIP (M)

$2,159,005

Barmy blockbuster drops 45 per cent on second weekend, but still does decent figures. Total up to $7.6 million; $125.7 million worldwide. Opens in the US on May 18.

3. AMERICAN PIE: REUNION (MA15+)

$1,516,242

About to pass $50 million in US. Here, is heading towards $13 million – by far the film’s best territory outside the US. Russia is next with $9.3 million.

4. THE HUNGER GAMES (M)

$1,469,485

Aussie gross is $28.4 million after five weeks; that’s $1.2 million ahead of the most recent Twilight film at the same stage of release. Worldwide total sits at $555 million.

5. DR SEUSS’ THE LORAX (G)

$1,448,939

Holiday hit lost 94 screens once the kids went back to school. Next big animations coming our way include a 3D do-over of Beauty and the Beast on May 3 and Pixar’s Brave on June 21.

6. THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL (PG)

$1,174,892

A small 23 per cent drop (compared to the 30 and 40 per cent falls elsewhere in the Top 10). Comparable title Salmon Fishing in the Yemen drops 21 per cent – but that much smaller release (93 screens compared to 263 for Best Exotic) has slipped out of the Top 10 after three weeks.

7. TITANIC 3D (M)

$976,260

Re-release took a staggering $65 million in its first week in China.

8. PIRATES! BAND OF MISFITS (G)

$844,318

A long seven years after their last stop-motion animation film Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were Rabbit, Aardman still prove a big draw. Pirates! doesn’t have the built-in audience of Wallace & Gromit. After three weeks in 2005, that film had taken $7.4 million. Pirates! is up to $5.6 million.

9. MIRROR MIRROR (PG)

$595,308

Julia Roberts’ last “big” film Eat Pray Love grossed just under $12 million in late 2010. Mirror Mirror is on its way out with $5.7 million.

10. 21 JUMP STREET (MA15+)

$417,840

Sony Pictures in Australia deliver big figures ($14.4 million) for another mid-range title. They’ve also done well with The Vow and Friends with Benefits in recent times.

Crowds on the money, be it a Zac or a Schilling

Actor Zac Efron at the premiere of the film 'The Lucky One' in Sydney. Picture: Adam Ward

The Herald Sun reports

High School Musical heart-throb Zac Efron charmed the crowds at Crown yesterday as he stepped out for the premiere of his latest film, The Lucky One.

The handsome actor and his co-star, Taylor Schilling, happily posed for pictures with fans as he stepped out at Village Cinemas.

Efron has had a busy schedule Down Under to promote the film, but has found time to see some sights, and visit Young Talent Time judge and HSM choreographer Chucky Klapow.

Other stars at last night's premiere included Isabel Lucas, Caitlin Stasey and Brendan and Alex Fevola.

Suite timing for Rihanna and Zac Efron in Sydney

Zac Efron eating breakfast on his balcony at Sydney's Park Hyatt. Picture: Matrix Source: Supplied

Amy Harris, The Daily Telegraph, reports

Two mega-stars, one hotel.

Zac Efron, who will attend tonight's premiere of his new romance flick The Lucky One at Bondi Junction, did as any movie star would do after a long-haul flight from Los Angeles - he squeezed in a workout before enjoying a leisurely breakfast on his balcony ... sans clothes.

The High School Musical star even carried his own breakfast tray and hung out his used bath towels. So who says celebrities aren't just like us?

In town for the Australian premiere of her new flick Battleship tomorrow night, Rihanna, 24, landed on Saturday and announced her arrival, tweeting: "Hellooooo Australia!!!'

Later, she shared her Harbourfront views with her 15 million-plus Twitter followers, writing: "Happy Easter all the way from Sydney."

It's not known if the pair, who are reportedly friends, were aware of each other's presence.

The stars lead a wave of big-name international visitors in Sydney over the next two weeks.

Brit music sensations One Direction are scheduled to arrive in Sydney tomorrow morning, with the boy-band to make several appearances prior to their two concerts at the Hordern Pavilion on Friday.

And a swathe of the world's biggest hip-hop and R&B stars are due to begin arriving on Wednesday for Sunday's SupaFest at ANZ Stadium, including P Diddy and singer Chris Brown.

Zac Efron returning to Sydney and Melbourne in April for world premiere of The Lucky One

 The Lucky One ... Zac Efron is returning to Australia in April. Source: Getty Images

The Daily Telegraph reports

Block your ears - Hollywood pin-up Zac Efron will be in Sydney within weeks for the world premiere of his latest film The Lucky One.

Efron, 24, stars in the Scott Hicks-directed romantic drama alongside Taylor Schilling and Blythe Danner, playing a US Marine sergeant in search of his mystery lover.

The Lucky One world premiere will be held in Melbourne in April, with Efron and Schilling also set to walk the red carpet in Sydney. The film is released on april 19.

Efron visited Sydney in 2007, 2008 with Vanessa Hudgens and 2010 to promote various films, with each visit resulting in hundreds of screaming teenage girls flocking to see the handsome young heart-throb.

Thanks to his starring role in the hugely popular High School Musical film franchise, Efron has become one of Hollywood's most in demand young actors with a massive, loyal fan base.

In recent years he has graduated successfully to more adult roles, appearing in films such as 17 Again, Charlie St. Cloud, and New Year's Eve.

Hicks directed the movie from a Will Fetters screenplay, which was adapted from the bestselling novel of the same name by Nicholas Sparks.

Hicks, whose family moved to Adelaide when he was 14, is best known as the Academy Award-nominated director of Shine. His other directorial ventures include Snow Falling on Cedars, No Reservations and The Boys are Back.