The Proposal stars Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock

Disney's romantic comedy The Proposal has hit the top of the North American box office on its opening weekend, early estimates show.

The film, starring Sandra Bullock as a hard-nosed executive who coerces her assistant into a fake marriage to avoid deportation, took $34.1 (£20.7m).

It puts last week's number one, bachelor party film The Hangover, in second place with $26.9m (£16.3m).

Prehistoric comedy Year One opened at number four with $20.2m (£12.3m).

Animated comedy Up, a former number one about about a grumpy old man and a scout who travel to South America in a flying house, was at number three with $21.3 m (£12.9m).

The top five was rounded out by subway hijacking thriller The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, which took $11.3m (£6.9m).