We Bought a Zoo
A grieving widower buys a crumbling mansion—and the failing zoo attached to it—to give his restless children a fresh start, but he must juggle mounting debts, eccentric staff, and wild animal chaos to keep his family together.
“A true zoo story.”
Synopsis
After his wife's death, Benjamin purchases a large house that includes a zoo in an effort to restart his life. His daughter welcomes the acquisition, while his son opposes it. The zoo requires renovation, and Benjamin begins the work alongside the head keeper and other staff members; however, the facility soon encounters financial difficulties.
Credits
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How many hands made this film
The scale of the collaboration
A crew of 62+ credited
Why a floor?
This is a minimum, not a total. We only count the credits we’ve captured so far, and coverage is uneven — a blockbuster might show a few hundred names while another of the same size shows a couple dozen. The real crews all ran into the thousands. The number here only grows as full credits are enriched — so we frame it as a floor, never a headcount.
Craft leads on file
Edited by Mark LivolsiShot by Rodrigo PrietoScored by Jon Thor BirgissonDesigned by Clay A Griffith
Box Office
2011 · Box office
⚖️ Fell short of break-even — grossed 2.4× its budget
Why 2.5×?
Cinemas keep roughly half of every ticket sold, and a wide release’s marketing often costs about as much again as the film — so a movie needs to gross around 2.5× its production budget just to break even theatrically. It’s a rule of thumb, not the studio’s ledger (home video and streaming come later).
Worldwide gross
$120.1M
US & Canada: $75.6M — 63% of worldwide · International: $44.5M (37%)
Opening weekend: $9.4M — 12% of its US run. It had legs — it kept earning long after opening weekend.
Opening week (7-day): $27.0M — 36% of its US & Canada run.
Peak 3,117 theaters
Full synopsis
Also known as
- Wir kaufen einen Zoode
- Nouveau Départfr
- La mia vita è uno zooit
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Cast & Crew
62 unique people credited
Top billed cast
Matt Damon
as Benjamin Mee
Scarlett Johansson
as Kelly Foster
Thomas Haden Church
as Duncan Mee
Elle Fanning
as Lily Miska
Colin Ford
as Dylan Mee
Maggie Elizabeth Jones
as Rosie Mee
Angus Macfadyen
as Peter MacCready
Patrick Fugit
as Robin Jones
John Michael Higgins
as Walter Ferris
Carla Gallo
as Rhonda Blair
Jb Smoove
as Mr. Stevens
Stephanie Szostak
as Katherine Mee
Supporting cast
41Michael Panes
as Principal
Kym Whitley
as Cashier
Todd Stanton
as San Diego Vet
Lauren Sanchez Bezos
as TV Anchor
Peter Riegert
as Delbert McGinty
Roberto Montesinos
as Hugo Chavez
Desi Lydic
as Shea Seger (Lasagna Mom)
Erick Chavarria
as Ernesto
Sam Fox
as Alison
Dustin Ybarra
as Nathan
Ben Seeder
as Bruce
Alice Marie Crowe
as Parrot Lady
Michelle Panek
as Sarah Tanner (Vet Assistant)
Gary D Robertson
as Male Zookeeper
Nicole Russell
as Volunteer
Reid Peters
as Volunteer
Taylor Victoria
as Zoo Patron
Steven Lee
as Zoo Patron
Steve Bessette
as Zoo Patron
Kate Yerves
as Zoo Patron
Hal Alpert
as Zoo Patron
Caroline Hanna
as Zoo Patron
Leslie Trotter
as Zoo Patron
David James Pryce
as Zoo Patron
Benjamin Mee
as Visiting Family
Ella Mee
as Visiting Family
Milo Mee
as Visiting Family
Sammi Yorn
as Visiting Family
William Crowe
as Zoo Kid
Curtis Crowe
as Zoo Kid
Johnny Cicco
as Zoo Staff
Alexia Barroso
as Zoo Staff
Thomas R Baker
as Pilot
David Dustin Kenyon
as Pilot
Shannah Barrett
as Party Girl
Christie Kittelsen
as Zoo Lover
Machelle Glassburn
as Zoo Lover
Crystal The Monkey
as Crystal the Capuchin
Nicole Andrews
as Joyce Jameson (uncredited)
Morgan Bertsch
as Popcorn Stand Girl (uncredited)
Tank The Bear
as Buster
Directors
1Writers
3Producers
3Other crew
5Parents Guide
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