UPDATE 1-Heartthrob Zac Efron tops U.S. box office

* Efron comedy "17 Again" takes in $24.1 million

* Russell Crowe thriller "State of Play" overshadowed

* "Crank: High Voltage" disappoints at box office (Recasts, adds quotes)

LOS ANGELES, April 19 (Reuters) - "High School Musical" heartthrob Zac Efron graduated to the big leagues at the North American box office on Sunday as his new comedy crushed a weighty thriller starring Russell Crowe.

"17 Again," in which Efron plays a dispirited 37-year-old family man who gets to relive his glory days at high school, earned a better-than-expected $24.1 million, distributor Warner Bros. said.

Crowe's "State of Play" opened at No. 2 with $14.1 million, but managed to exceed the modest expectations of its distributor, Universal Pictures.

Last weekend's champion, "Hannah Montana: The Movie," fell to No. 4 with $12.7 million, taking the 10-day haul for Walt Disney Co's (DIS.N) Miley Cyrus vehicle to $56.1 million.

Just ahead of it, the family cartoon "Monsters vs. Aliens" held steady at No. 3 with $12.9 million. After four weekends, the DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc (DWA.O) production has earned $162.7 million, making it the biggest movie of the year so far.

Also new was "Crank: High Voltage," a sequel starring British actor Jason Statham. It opened at No. 6 with $6.5 million. Pundits had expected the thriller to do better than "State of Play."