'Horrible Bosses' wins the comedy match against 'Zookeeper'

By Sarah Sluis

Dueling comedies Horrible Bosses and Zookeeper were both predicted to open north of $20 million, but Bosses sprinted ahead for a $28.1 million finish. Males over twenty-five turned out in force for the revenge comedy, which has sitcom stars such as Charlie Day of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" and Jason Bateman of "Arrested Development" in the cast. Zookeeper, with its PG rating, drew more of a family crowd, earning $21 million. A full 59% of the audience was over 25, indicating that not only moms and dads turned out for the pic, but older and loyal Kevin James fans.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon continued its reign in first place with a $47 million finish. Though Dark of the Moon started off much lower than the second film, it's regained a lot of its speed. Measured falls like this week's 52% dropoff could make the latest Transformers film the highest grossing yet.

Fans turned out in force for Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest. The music documentary averaged $30,000 per screen on four screens.

Back in the top ten, Cars 2 continues to fall more than average for an animated film, dropping 42% to $15.2 million. Despite the competition of Horrible Bosses, Bad Teacher dipped a shy 38% to $9 million this week. Midnight in Paris topped the haul of Annie Hall this week as it added $2.7 million, raising its total to $38.6 million. The Woody Allen pic is still behind his highest-grossing outing, Hannah and Her Sisters, but let's not forget that these figures haven't been adjusted for inflation.

This Friday could be a record-breaking weekend, as the eighth and final Harry Potter film hits theatres. Tyke audiences will get a nod with Winnie the Pooh, a return to classic hand-drawn animation.

'Horrible Bosses' and 'Zookeeper' vie for laughs

By Sarah Sluis

In one corner, we have Zookeeper (3,482 theatres), a PG-rated Kevin James comedy that features talking animal matchmakers for laughs. In the other corner, we have Horrible Bosses (3,040 theatres), an R-rated dark comedy about killing bosses that goes for the "satisfying, nasty and funny," according to critic David Noh. Currently, Bosses is leading on Rotten Tomatoes, earning 74% positive ratings compared to Zookeeper's 14% positive status. But when it comes to the box office, the numbers are expected to be more even, around $20 million each. If anything, critical response for these films indicates their intended audience. Kids under 12 are apparently very excited to see animals talking (huge surprise), while adults are more likely to laugh at seeing worker bees getting their revenge.

While Zookeeper and Horrible Bosses compete for spots two and three, Transformers: Dark of the Moon will continue its reign at the top. The machine-driven sequel should grab around $40 million in its second weekend.

The safest bet this weekend on the specialty circuit is the latest James Marsh (Man on Wire) documentary Project Nim (4 theatres), the "gripping true-life yarn," as described by critic Ethan Alter, that details a project that led a chimp to make its home among a variety of science-minded humans. Fans of the eponymous hip-hop band can check out the musical documentary Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest (4 theatres), which details the band's rise, fall, and reunion.

On Monday, we'll see if audiences flocked for digital animals or vicarious revenge on evil supervisors in the weekend recap.