Weekend Box Office: Transformers Still Tops, Bosses Not So Horrible, Zookeeper Muted

By Chris Kavan - 07/11/11 at 01:25 AM CT

It took just two weeks for Transformers: Dark of the Moon to become the highest-grossing film of 2011. While The Hangover: Part II fell out of the top 10 and crossed the $250 million mark, Transformers dropped 52% but still topped $261 million.

With a $47 million weekend, the third film in the Transformers franchise managed to hold on to more of its audience than Revenge of the Fallen. Still, the big test is yet to come as it remains to be seen how it holds up against Harry Potter.

The two new films opening this week had varying results. Premiering in second place with $28.1 million was Horrible Bosses. The film continued the streak of R-rated comedy hits for the summer. With a solid premise and some big names, along with a modest $35 million budget, it should add up to another decent showing. While I have a feeling it won't reach Bridesmaids or Hangover II numbers, it should wind up pretty good for an R-rated comedy.

The same probably won't be said for Zookeeper. While the Kevin James / talking animal comedy opened in third with $21 million, it was a far cry from Paul Blart: Mall Cop, which had a $31.8 million debut. It also won't have the stamina to match last year's Grownups, which isn't good considering this film had a $80 million budget.

In fourth place was Pixar's Cars 2 with $15.2 million. While it managed to keep a bit more of its audience, dropping just 42%, the $148.8 million now lags behind the original Cars for the same time frame and in terms of attendance is Pixar's weakest movie to date. Maybe Pixar will get the message that people prefer original ideas instead of sequels.

Rounding out the top five was Bad Teacher. Despite competition from Horrible Bosses, Bad Teacher dropped just 38% taking in a respectable $9 million for a robust $78.8 million total. It should be able to top $100 million before it's finished - not bad for a film that cost just $20 million.

Two of summer most disappointing films bled the most customers with Larry Crowne and Green Lantern both shedding over 52% of audiences. Larry Crown ended up in sixth place with $6.3 million and now stands at $26.5 million. It represents one of the weakest films yet for Tom Hanks, with the Ladykillers in 2004 being the closest comparison. Meanwhile Green Lantern barely held in the top 10, coming in ninth with $3.1 million and now stands at $109.7 million. Something tells me this is one franchise that isn't going to spawn any sequels, even with global sales taken into account.

Next week the vast majority of eyes will be on Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows, Pt. 2 as I'm sure huge swathes of audiences will a bid a fond farewell to the boy wizard and friends for the last time. If you were never a Potter fan, don't despair you can also take the family out to see Winnie the Pooh - a rare 2D presentation from Disney or the historical drama Snow Flower and the Secret Fan.