After leading two of Netflix’s biggest streaming hits, Bird Box and The Unforgivable, Sandra Bullock returned to theatrical films in 2022 with the romantic action-adventure The Lost City, a rare genre offering these days. The Lost City stars Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum as a romance novelist and her cover model who go on the search for an ancient treasure while being hounded by an eccentric billionaire (played by Daniel Radcliffe). The Lost City premiered in March this year, and after an extended theatrical run, the film has managed to cross $100 million stateside for a global total of $187 million against a budget of $68 million.
The Lost City is also set to be one of Bullock’s last films, as she is planning to step back from acting to attend to her family. Bullock, who serves as a producer on the film alongside Liza Chasin, gave an interview to The Hollywood Reporter recently. Bullock revealed that there were never plans for The Lost City to debut on streaming, even though she had found success with her last two films on Netflix.
"Yes, streaming was blossoming, but there was no doubt in our mind that this was theatrical," Bullock said. "We were filming it for theatrical. It was all about scope and scale." And the results are evident, even though The Lost City took quite some time to achieve them. The film has surpassed all box-office expectations and that too, amidst a raging global pandemic. Women accounted for the majority of the audience of The Lost City, and per Bullock, that was one of the reasons that aided the film’s box office run.
"Women of a certain age that aren’t 18 don’t go out on the first weekend. We have other shit to take care of … like families and careers. That’s why, if you’re lucky, you have a movie that sticks around. This movie made it worth the trip to the movie theater."
Sandra Bullock Is On An Acting Break After The Lost City
Sandra Bullock joins Ryan Reynolds as the second Hollywood biggie to announce an acting hiatus. The 57-year-old Speed star wants to spend time with her family and says back-to-back filming during the pandemic took a toll on her mind. "I don’t want to be beholden to anyone’s schedule other than my own. I’m so burnt out. I’m so tired, and I’m so not capable of making healthy, smart decisions and I know it." As for how long this break might last, Bullock has no idea either. She goes on to say,
"Work has always been steady for me, and I’ve been so lucky. I realized it possibly was becoming my crutch. It was like opening up a fridge all the time and looking for something that was never in the fridge. I said to myself, ‘Stop looking for it here because it doesn’t exist here. You already have it; establish it, find it and be OK not having work to validate you.’
I love working with artists, and that’s why Liza and I were very well-matched. If I’m going out with a bang, I want to go out with the right person."
Although Bullock and her incredible on-screen presence will be missed, fans will be delighted to know that she’ll cameo in the upcoming action film Bullet Train. Bullock returns the favor to Brad Pitt, who also made a memorable cameo in The Lost City. Bullet Train premieres on August 5, 2022.