Will the Exotic Animal Slaughter in Ohio Hurt the Movie ‘We Bought a Zoo’?

The animal slaughter in Ohio showed the world how hard it is to run a zoo at home. So will the disaster have any impact on the marketing of the coming family movie “We Bought a Zoo”?


Matt Damon in “We Bought A Zoo”

 Out of the 50 animals freed by the owner of an Ohio animal preserve, a macaque monkey is the lone animal unaccounted for, although authorities say it’s possible that one of the larger animals consumed it. Over the last two days, 18 endangered Bengal tigers, 12 lions and eight bears, among other animals, were shot and killed. The home preserve’s owner, Terry Thompson, took his life Tuesday after he opened all the cages, prompting the mass animal killing.

This incident comes just two months before 20th Century Fox (which, like The Wall Street Journal is owned by News Corp) will premiere “We Bought A Zoo,” a film that tells the story of a father who relocates his family to a rural countryside to renovate and re-open a zoo. Starring Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson, and directed by Cameron Crowe, the film is due in theaters on December 23.

“I think they are in trouble,” Ray Subers of Box Office Mojo said of the coming film. “After the event it feels like the trailer was jokingly put together in a very un-tasteful way.”

The trailer features Damon repairing the grounds of the zoo and looking at wild animals from the second story of his house.

As of now, the studio says that there are no plans to pull advertisements or trailers or shift the course of marketing the film.

“We are saddened by the tragic events in Ohio, but the story of ‘We Bought a Zoo,’ is completely unrelated to that misfortune and will not affect our plans,” said Chris Petrikin, the head of Corporate Communication for the studio, in a statement. “In Cameron Crowe’s film, a zoo is simply the backdrop for a story of family redemption and reunion.’”

Box Office Mojo’s Subers says that the studio shouldn’t try to avoid the movie’s zoo aspect in its marketing. “Don’t run and hide, it’s in the title and movies with animals tend to do pretty well with family audiences,” he said.

“We Bought a Zoo” will have competition. Two other family films, “Alvin and the Chipmunks – Chipwrecked” and “The Adventures of Tintin” are also slated for release during the holiday season.
“I think ‘We Bought A Zoo’ may get lost completely if it is seen as just a general family hugs and sunshine film, but I think they are in trouble regardless,” Subers said.