America loves Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds (and to a lesser extent Betty White and Craig T. Nelson). Or at least that's the message sent by this week's box office numbers, as reported in Variety. The Proposal—in which Bullock blackmails her employee Reynolds, into marrying her for a visa—opened to $34.1 million. That's the best opening yet for Bullock, who's been out of the romantic comedy game for a couple of years now.
The Hangover and Up landed in the place and show positions, continuing to do strong business. Harold Ramis' Year One, on the other hand, didn't stir much interest, landing in fourth place with a meager $20 million and change. (Mercenary writers working up pitches for copycat Bible-age comedies can stop now.) Further down the chart, the Woody Allen/Larry David team-up Whatever Works did great business in nine New York and L.A. theaters.
In the U.K. and Japan, however, it was all about Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen, which debuted in those markets in advance of its opening this week. In other words, enjoy your last few Transformers 2-free days, America.