Box Office - 'The Proposal' Takes In $34 Million

The Hangover did better than expected this weekend, but still couldn't manage a third straight victory at the box office. Instead, Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds both achieved career bests with the opening of their romantic comedy, The Proposal. Barring his supporting role in Wolverine, Reynolds had never had a $30 million-plus weekend, and had only eclipsed $20 million once, with The Amityville Horror. Bullock had never seen a $20 million start for any movie in her entire career, even Speed.

This weekend was different, though. The Proposal earned a very strong $34 million according to new estimates from Box Office Mojo, easily winning the top spot. That's the best opening weekend for a romantic comedy since Sex and the City, which is almost an unfair comparison given that film's history. Discarding that, you'd have to go back to Enchanted to find a romantic comedy in the $30 - $35 million range. The Hangover earned $26 million - still a tremendous amount of money for a movie in its third weekend - and that pushed it over the $150 million mark. Only three comedies have done more business in three weeks: Meet the Fockers, Bruce Almighty, and the third Austin Powers movie. Really astonishing performance by this film.

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Box Office - Audiences Accept 'The Proposal'

More than likely, The Hangover won't threepeat as box office champion, an achievement we trumpeted on Thursday. It will probably still wind up in second place, even though it isn't beginning the weekend that high on the chart.

The Proposal will be your new champeen, unless this weekend's estimates are being counted by the Iranian Election Commission. The Sandra Bullock-Ryan Reynolds comedy debuted with $12.4 million, according to Box Office Mojo, which means Bullock will enjoy her first ever $20 million opening weekend. Because this is new territory for her, it's hard to know exactly what the $12 million means, but romcoms rarely spike on Friday and fall off immediately (which I think will happen with Year One). So this should do a Not That Into You-like $27 - $30 million.

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Movie Review - 'Year One'

Year One Starring Jack Black and Michael Cera Directed by Harold Ramis Rated PG-13

The collected talent associated with Year One has made us laugh for years. Jack Black and Michael Cera are very different comic actors, but both have had success. Writers Gene Stupnisky and Lee Eisenberg are part of the creative element on The Office. And director Harold Ramis co-wrote Animal House, Stripes, Groundhog Day, and Ghostbusters. So why does Year One try to get its biggest laughs out of scatalogical humor? I have no good answer for you, but the prehistorical buddy comedy that should be so much funnier spends more time in the gutter than it needs to. For a long time, it appeared that Year One would never be funnier than its concept, a hunter (Black) and a gatherer (Cera) are cast out of their village and hilarity, presumably, ensues. Their sole mission is to free the women they would like to lay with, both of whom have been enslaved. Outside of "lay with," all the dialogue is pointedly contemporary. That's by design, of course; it's part of the joke. And for an hour, Year One is better in theory than in practice. Then Oliver Platt shows up and he's very funny as an effeminate but entirely too hairy high priest of Sodom. A few scenes before that are pretty good, too, including Abraham (Hank Azaria) announcing his plan to circumcize every man in his village, and a brotherly spat between Cain and Abel (David Cross and Paul Rudd). But if you take a two-day road trip and the real highlights are the quirky rest stops, you need to find a new destination next time.

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Fearless Forecast: Another Round for 'The Hangover'

Three comedies (four if you count an animated flick) should be at or near the top of the weekend box office. The only thing that remains to be seen is if one of the new movies - The Proposal or Year One - can stop the steamrolling success of The Hangover. By now, you're aware that The Hangover is not just the biggest surprise since Paul Blart, but it's also the year's most consistent performer. We're still waiting for it to dip below $5 million on any day, but that probably won't happen until Monday.

Can it go to the top for a third straight weekend? Two movies did it last summer, The Dark Knight and Tropic Thunder - but the difference is, both of those were expected to be number one movies. The Hangover wasn't supposed to beat Land of the Lost, which it has outgrossed by more than $80 million in less than 14 days, and even if it did, there's always Up to contend with. That film is Pixar's second best box office performer, and yet, The Hangover could be the first movie of 2009 to go back-to-back-to-back.

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Olivia Wilde Gets Physical in New 'GQ' Pictorial

Most movie fans probably didn't know the name Olivia Wilde when fellow temptress Megan Fox said her female crush on Wilde was so strong that it makes her want to strangle a mountain ox. That's a ringing endorsement if I've ever heard one.

But in the year or so since then, Wilde's profile has been raised quite a bit. In addition to gaining recognition by spending a couple seasons on House, Wilde is in the upcoming Year One and has a major role in the anticipated TRON sequel. And she was recently named Maxim's hottest of the hot. Another men's magazine also thinks highly of Wilde, with GQ devoting a new gymnatsics-themed pictorial (and accompanying video) to the 25-year-old rising star.

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