User blog:Ceauntay/Friday Box Office Analysis (July 8, 2011)

One blockbuster and two comedies hit the marketplace, and the good news is that the one receiving positive reviews is ahead so far.

=Jane Hoop Elementary: The Final Rush: Part 2= Jane Hoop Elementary: The Final Rush: Part 2 is the final chapter of a eight-chapter franchise for the last eleven years. Fans praised about the film saying that this will be the best Jane Hoop Elementary film because it looks better than ever. They also said that it will be one of the best of all-time, since possibly Avatar or Inception. On Friday, the film grossed $69.9 million, and should become a hit this year grossing at least $145 million topping 2011 since Sonic X: The Final Stand and Scooby-Doo! The Movie. None of the live-action films made $100 million, where else animated (Sonic and Scooby) films only two dominated $100 million.

=Horrible Bosses=

Horrible Bosses, the movie that brings to life the dreams of thousands of workers in the world who fantasize about offing their jerky superiors, earned $9.9 million on Friday. What we're seeing this summer so far is that R-rated comedies are money in the bank. Since the budget for Horrible Bosses is reported at $35 million, the movie is looking to be close to earning back its budget after the weekend is done. Credit a killer concept and a fine cast of supporting characters as the bosses, including Jennifer Aniston, Colin Farrell and Kevin Spacey, not to mention Jason Bateman and Jason Sudeikis as a pair of embattled workers. Since reviews are mostly on the positive side, word-of-mouth may help Horrible Bosses to a more Bridesmaids-like trajectory over the long term than Bad Teacher. Give the film $27.8 million for the weekend and bragging rights over the King of Queens.

=Zookeeper=

As we've mentioned, the Kevin James film underperformed compared to Horrible Bosses, which gives us some level of faith in the universe. The movie that has James getting his dating advice from gorillas, elephants and other four-legged creatures earned $7.4 million on Saturday, which is still more than we might hope for but less than Sony wanted. Given all the CGI animals, Zookeeper had a budget of $80 million, and the studio will need to hope its kid-friendly nature will help it to have legs. The reviews sure won't. Zookeeper is looking at $23.8 million thanks to kids who will drag their parents to see it.