Weekend Box-office Totals: 'Pirates'' Loot Tops $258.2 Million
- From: GarondoMarondo@xxxxxxxxx
- Date: 17 Jul 2006 07:20:12 -0700
The sequel starring Johnny Depp is the first movie this year to hit the
quarter-billion-dollar mark.
By Josh Friedman, Times Staff Writer
July 16, 2006
Another weekend, another plundering.
"Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" powered through its second
weekend at the box office, grossing an estimated $62.2 million in the
U.S. and Canada to bring its 10-day total to a record $258.2 million.
Walt Disney Co.'s juggernaut sequel, which earlier broke the first-day
and opening-weekend records, left two new comedies in its wake this
weekend -- Sony Pictures' "Little Man" and Universal Pictures' "You, Me
and Dupree."
Both new releases opened about as expected. The Wayans brothers'
"Little Man" grossed an estimated $21.7 million, versus $21.3 million
for the weekend's No. 3 film, the Owen Wilson vehicle "You, Me and
Dupree."
"Pirates," the follow-up to 2003's "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse
of the Black Pearl," sailed past the previous 10-day record holder.
Last year, "Star Wars: Episode 3 Revenge of the Sith" racked up $236.7
million in a week and a half.
"In the world of big hits, this one is starting to show its mettle,"
said Chuck Viane, Disney's distribution chief.
"Pirates" became the first movie this year to better the
quarter-billion-dollar mark, and the fourth to top $200 million.
Based on early returns, "Pirates" has a good shot at becoming the
seventh picture ever to exceed $400 million at the U.S. and Canadian
box offices, said Brandon Gray, president of BoxOfficeMojo.com.
Worldwide, "Pirates" could become the third picture to break the
$1-billion mark, joining "Titanic" and "The Lord of the Rings: The
Return of the King."
Stars Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley are popular
overseas. Already, the picture has grossed $125 million in 24
territories outside the U.S. and Canada, including $58 million this
weekend.
It has yet to open in two-thirds of the global markets, as the studio
sought to avoid conflicting with the end of the World Cup soccer
tournament.
"Pirates" has no chance, however, of challenging the all-time record
grosses of $600.8 million in the U.S. and Canada and $1.8 billion
worldwide, both held by "Titanic," Gray said.
"It's not as complete and compelling a movie experience," he said.
"It's more of a middle movie with a cliffhanger ending, but you really
have to satisfy audiences to get them to see a picture over and over
again."
Even so, Gray said, audiences obviously like "Pirates," which bodes
well for the third installment in the series, "Pirates of the
Caribbean: At World's End." That movie is due out Memorial Day weekend
2007.
Dropping 54 percent from its opening weekend, "Pirates" averaged an
estimated $15,046 per location at 4,133 theaters.
"Little Man," starring Marlon Wayans as a pint-sized jewel thief,
averaged $8,567 at 2,533 theaters. "Dupree," starring Wilson as a
quirky marriage crasher, averaged $6,803 at 3,131 theaters.
Among other movies in the top 10, Disney's "Cars" added $7.5 million to
bring its total to $219.7 million, passing "The Da Vinci Code" as the
year's No. 3 picture in the U.S. and Canada. "X-Men: The Last Stand" is
No. 2 at $232 million.
"A Scanner Darkly" from Warner Independent Pictures expanded to 216
theaters and finished 10th for the weekend with $1.2 million.
Despite the strength of "Pirates," the overall box-office total fell
from a year earlier for the first time in nine weeks, when "Poseidon"
had its disastrous debut. An estimated $156 million in tickets was
sold, a drop of 4.9 percent.
"This goes to show that no single picture can save the box office,"
Gray said.
In the same weekend during 2005, two comedies, "Charlie and the
Chocolate Factory" and "Wedding Crashers," opened to far bigger
business than this weekend's new offerings. Wilson, as highlighted in
Universal's ads, co-starred in "Wedding Crashers," and Depp starred in
"Charlie."
Year-to-date, U.S. and Canadian ticket sales reached $5.2 billion, up
6.7 percent from the same point in 2005.
"Pirates" could top the box office for the third time next weekend,
analysts said -- a rarity in today's front-loaded movie market.
Four releases open wide: "Lady in the Water," the latest fantasy from
"The Sixth Sense" director M. Night Shyamalan; "Monster House," a 3-D
animated movie; "Clerks II," Kevin Smith's follow-up to his 1994 cult
hit; and "My Super Ex-Girlfriend," a high-concept romp starring Uma
Thurman as a jilted superhero.
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