Weekend box office: It's Zac's world...

...and we just live in it. "High School Musical 3: Senior Year" ruled the box office again, although its $15 million second-weekend take represented a 64 percent drop from Weekend 1. If "Zack and Miri Make a Porno" had had a PG-13 rating and been about something other than Zack and Miri making a porno, it might have grabbed the top spot, but $10 million at 2,700 theaters will have to suffice.

A soft weekend at the BO, in other words, with Halloween obviously cutting into Friday (Leonard Klady says business for "High School Musical 3" was off 90%, but he doesn't say compared to what) and to some extent Saturday moviegoing. "The Haunting of Molly Hartley," a no-star spooktale that didn't bother screen for critics, squeezed out an okay $6 million and was the only other new film besides "Zack and Miri" to crack the Top Ten. "Saw V" dropped two-thirds to come in third with $10 million. In fourth place was Clint Eastwood's ode to Depression-era motherhood, "Changeling," which expanded from 15 theaters to over 1,800 but made only $9.4 million -- surprisingly low given the Eastwood-Jolie one-two punch and many laudatory reviews. It's a season for diversion not drama; maybe this will change after the election returns are in.

Speaking of "HSM 3"'s clawlike hold on the minds of America's youth, it's worth wondering what's next for Zac. Per Entertainment Weekly, young Mr. Efron is poised for total media dominance in the next few years, including starring in a remake of "Footloose," a "'Big'-style comedy, '17 Again'" (warning: grown-up Zac is played by Matthew Perry), and the completed-but-as-yet-unsold "Me and Orson Welles." I've seen the latter, and it's not enough to convince me there's more to this kid than a pretty face, a likeably bland personality, and a hell of a tan. I'm actually more curious to see what Lucas Grabeel makes of his small role in the upcoming "Milk," although the kid could be a little less defensive about being a straight actor playing a gay character. After all those "HSM" hats, I guess I can't blame him.

More box office numbers from Box Office Mojo and Leonard Klady at Movie City News.