LA, Feb 16: Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore spread the love at the North American box office as their romantic comedy "50 First Dates" opened at No. 1 during a weekend marked by both Valentine's Day and the Presidents Day holiday, according to studio estimates issued on Sunday. The Sony Pictures release sold about $41 million worth of tickets since opening on Friday, setting a record for a romantic comedy opening, said Rory Bruer, the studio's president of domestic theatrical distribution. The previous record was held by Julia Roberts' "Runaway Bride," which bowed with $35 million in 1999, he said.

The "Dates" debut almost doubled that of the last Sandler-Barrymore pairing, "The Wedding Singer," which kicked off with $21.9 million exactly six years ago, and finished up with $89.2 million domestically.

It is also on par with its stars' most recent hit openings: Sandler's "Anger Management" with $42 million in its first three days, and Barrymore's "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" with $37.6 million.

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In "Dates," Sandler's character must woo Barrymore's from scratch every day because she has brain damage and forgets everything overnight. Directed by Peter Segal ("Anger Management"), the film was budgeted at about $75 million. Bruer said Valentine's Day crowds helped boost the film's Saturday sales by 96 percent over Friday's. A normal bump would be about 30 to 40 percent. Other studios reported similarly large increases for their movies. He cautiously estimated "Dates" could add $5 million or so on Monday, when overall business will be boosted by the Presidents Day holiday. Sony Pictures is a unit of Sony Corp .

Last weekend's champion, the urban comedy "Barbershop 2: Back in Business," starring Ice Cube and Cedric the Entertainer, slipped to No. 2 with $15.6 million, taking its 10-day total to $44.1 million. The hockey drama "Miracle," about America's surprise win over the Soviets at the 1980 Winter Olympics, also fell one place, to No. 3, with $14 million, for a 10-day tally of $37.1 million.

"Barbershop 2" was released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc., and "Miracle" by Walt Disney Pictures, a unit of Walt Disney Co . Bureau Report