Friday Box Office: 'The Proposal' gives Sandra Bullock a record opening day

Will we be seeing a Sandra Bullock/Ryan Reynolds pairing again after the big opening of "The Proposal"?  You can count on it.

Credit: Touchstone Pictures

Has Sandra Bullock found her man?  At least on the big screen?

The popular actress has starred successfully alongside Keanu Reeves (twice), Hugh Grant and Matthew McConaughey, but it took her teaming up with old buddy Ryan Reynold's in this weekend's "The Proposal" to set records.  According to Box Office Mojo, The duo's new romantic comedy opened to a very strong $12.4 million on Friday in what should be a stellar $33-35 million weekend.  Considering Bullock's previous weekend topper was just $17 million, it's happy times for the (can you believe it) 45-year-old actress.  It also marks the first time that Bullock has topped the opening weekend box office in over a decade.  Considering her pictures tend to play with audiences much longer than traditional comedies, and with little competition in the genre until the end of July, "The Proposal" is a lock to soar past $100 million.

Casting naysayers aside, the Jack Black/Michael Cera comedy "Year One" staged something of a comeback by opening with $8.5 million on Friday.  The Harold Ramis picture was perceived to be on its way to becoming the second summer bomb after "Land of the Lost," and while it certainly may not be profitable, a $20 million plus weekend should at least wipe the sweat from the brow of the executive who championed the movie at Sony Pictures.  It's clear they have the star power of Jack Black to thank for that.

A close third was the megahit "The Hangover."  The surprise of the summer so far, the comedy pulled in another $8.4 million to bring it's cume to $134 million.  While the Todd Phillips flick won't lead the box office for a third week in a row, it's on a strong trajectory to clear past $200 million.  That's a remarkable achievement for an R-rated comedy with no household names on board.

Pixar's "Up" stayed strong in fourth place with $6.1 million and a $208 million gross.  At this point, the critically acclaimed family film should fly by "The Incredibles" into the #2 slot of all-time Pixar grossers behind "Finding Nemo's" $339 million (and that's not out of reach either).

"The Taking of Pelham 123" arrived in fifth place with only $3.2 million and a $35 million gross so far.  After a so-so opening last week, the Tony Scott thriller looks like it will top out well under $80 million when all is said done.  Disappointing to say the least.

Look for a complete rundown on the weekend's box office tomorrow on HitFix.

Gregory Ellwood
Editor-in-Chief, Co-Founder

• Follow

With over a decade of experience in the movie industry, Ellwood survived working for two major studios and has written for Variety, MSN and the LA Times. A co-founder of HitFix, Ellwood spends his time relaxing hitting 3’s on the basketball court and following his beloved Clippers.