January 03, 2010

BULLOCK NAMED BIGGEST BOX-OFFICE DRAW OF THE YEAR BY MOVIE THEATER EXECS (/F)

By R. Kinsey Lowe

Movie theater executives surveyed by Quigley, publisher of mind-numbingly detailed movie and TV industry almanacs, chose Sandra Bullock as 2009's biggest box office draw for their theaters, according to /Film.

Bullock, in case you were wondering, is only the eighth woman to make the cut as top money-makers; those eight accumulated 16 wins. The others are: Marie Dressler (1932, 1933), Shirley Temple (1935, 1936, 1937, 1938), Betty Grable (1943), Elizabeth Taylor (1961), Doris Day (1960, 1962, 1963, 1964), Julie Andrews (1966, 1967) and Julia Roberts (1999).

Whether you like Bullock or not (count me among the former) 2009 has definitely been her year, with two out of her three released movies bona fide hits –"The Proposal" and "The Blind Side." (The dud "All About Steve" was her other '09 movie.)

"Blind Side" is a late-year surprise that has some wags betting Bullock will get an Oscar nomination for her performance (helpfully compiled reviews and rankings can be found on MRQE and Rotten Tomatoes).

It's already earned her a Golden Globes nomination for best actress in a drama.

Here are the theater execs' top 10:

1. Sandra Bullock

2. Johnny Depp

3. Matt Damon

4. George Clooney

5. Robert Downey Jr.

6. Tom Hanks

7. Meryl Streep

8. Brad Pitt

9. Shia LaBeouf

10. Denzel Washington