“Highschool Musical 3: Senior Year” has earned the title of the best opening weekend for a musical. Disney’s popular song-and-dance series starring Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Tisdale grossed a hefty $42 million in box office sales this past weekend.
Other movies didn’t stay far behind. The fifth installment of the Saw series came in second place with $30 million for “Saw V”, pushing the series past the horror flick “Friday the 13th” making Saw V the highest-grossing horror franchise in history.
Mark Wahlberg’s “Max Payne” came in third place with $7.6 million. The film based on a video game has now made $29.7 million overall.
Another Disney flick, “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” came in fourth place with $6.9 million this past weekend, followed by “Pride and Glory,” which made $6.3 million in its first week of release.
Vanessa Hudgens may be turning 20 this year but she’s not in any rush.
“Your fans are the ones who support your movies,” she says in the new issue of Teen Vogue. “Without them, your career is over. I’m turning 20 this year, so of course I’m going to have to grow up. But I’ll do it when the time is right.”
Hudgens has enjoyed success with the family-oriented Disney musical blockbuster High School Musical. The last of the franchise series is the upcoming HSM3 movie, scheduled for release on October 24.
Hudgens’ music career has capitalized on her young teen fanbase from High School Musical, having recently released her sophomore solo album.
“It’s a little more sophisticated [than my first album],” Hudgens explains, “though not in a sense where it’s too old for my fans.”
Hudgens has not been without controversy. Nude photographs of the young Disney star surfaced on the internet this past year. She, along with Disney, has worked vigorously to restore her wholesome image.
