<Tr> <Th> Budget </Th> <Td> $50 million </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Box office </Th> <Td> $120.1 million </Td> </Tr> <P> We Bought a Zoo is a 2011 American family comedy - drama film loosely based on the 2008 memoir of the same name by Benjamin Mee . It was written and directed by Cameron Crowe and stars Matt Damon as widowed father Benjamin Mee, who purchases a dilapidated zoo with his family and takes on the challenge of preparing the zoo for its reopening to the public . The film also stars Scarlett Johansson, Maggie Elizabeth Jones, Thomas Haden Church, Patrick Fugit, Elle Fanning, Colin Ford, and John Michael Higgins . The film was released in the United States on December 23, 2011 by 20th Century Fox . The film earned $120.1 million on a $50 million budget . We Bought a Zoo was released on DVD and Blu - ray on April 3, 2012 by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment . Dartmoor Zoological Park (originally Dartmoor Wildlife Park), on which the film is based, is a 33 - acre zoological garden located near the village of Sparkwell, Devon, England . </P> <P> Benjamin Mee is still grieving the loss of his wife and dealing with the expulsion of his 14 - year - old son, Dylan, from school, and decides to make a restart by buying a new house . He tours many houses with his 7 - year - old daughter, Rosie, and his realtor, Mr. Stevens, but finds none he likes until his daughter finds a listing with what seems like the perfect house . They drive to an old large house and Benjamin inspects the property, telling his realtor it is perfect . When they hear a lion roar, Stevens explains that the house comes with a zoo in the back, which closed several years before; if they want the house, they must buy the zoo . </P>

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