Top 10 for July 7-9, 2006 Summary: Final numbers are in.
Obliterating virtually every opening weekend record on the books, Disney's motley crew Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest raided the box office with a staggering $135.6 million, becoming not only the biggest opening in history, but also the first film to ever break the $100 million barrier in less than three days (2). The debut annihilated the $114.8 million bow of 2002's Spider-Man, an opening weekend record that had lasted a remarkable four years. It was just the sixth film to ever open with over $100 million in a weekend, and the film's sizzling $32,817 average (in 4,133 theaters) is unprecedented among films debuting in wide release.
Reportedly carrying a budget of $225 million, the sequel to 2003's surprise blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl shrugged off mixed-to-poor reviews from critics thanks to an effective marketing campaign from Disney, a huge built-in audience from the first film that took in $305 million domestically and over $650 million worldwide, and wide appeal across virtually all moviegoing demographics.
After posting a jaw dropping $55.5 million on Friday (including $9 million in Thursday night screenings), the Johnny Depp-Keira Knightley starrer fell an expected 20% to an estimated $44.4 million on Saturday, and $35.4 million on Sunday. Its Friday bow was not only the biggest opening day, but also the biggest single day in the history of the box office, surpassing the $50 million Thursday bow of Episode III. If estimates hold, its Saturday take would be the 5th largest single day in history, another mind-boggling achievement. Consequently, the film shattered the previous studio record for an opening, which had been owned by 2004's The Incredibles with $70.5 million. For live-action releases, the studio's previous best had been The Chronicles of Narnia with $65.6 million.
Concerns about competition from the sophomore frame of Warner's Superman Returns were unfounded (more likely reversed), as the Man of Steel fell by a precipitous 58% this weekend, by far the largest drop in the top ten. But let's get back to Dead Man's Chest, which was partly shot back to back with the third Pirates of the Caribbean film At World's End - set to be released in May of 2007. Even if word of mouth isn't as strong as its predecessor Black Pearl (though exit polling seems to indicate equally strong audience scores), the Gore Verbinski-helmed adventure pic seems headed for $300 million and beyond, considering Dead Man's Chest debuted nearly three times as large as the 2003 film's $46.6 million take. Stealing thunder from Warner's lucrative Harry Potter series, Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean films (based on the company's theme-park ride) could very well be the most valuable franchise of all. With a massive global launch, Dead Man's Chest looks certain to surpass the $653 million worldwide take of its predecessor.
Comparisons between Dead Man's phenomenal debut and Superman Returns' lackluster one will likely be the story of the summer, but in hindsight nothing about their respective openings should have been a surprise. Whereas it never really seemed that Warner understood how to market their mega-budget Superman Returns (was it a romance or an action film? did they show too much or too little?), Disney played their cards perfectly for Pirates, advertising the film just enough to keep people excited, but not so much that audiences would grow tired. What is clear is that for all the hype (and Entertainment Weekly covers) Superman Returns received, this summer will be remembered for Pirates.
Superman Returns took a sizeable beating in its sophomore frame, thanks to the record-smashing debut of Dead Man's Chest, falling a top ten worst 58% to an estimated $21.8 million, pushing its 12-day take to $141.68 million. Budgeted at $260 million, Superman is now the second high-profile Warner release this summer to post lower than expected numbers, after Wolfgang Peterson's $160 million remake Poseidon finished with just $59.3 million domestically. Hopes that strong word of mouth would help propel the film much like last summer's Batman Begins were quickly dashed (Batman Begins fell just 43% in its sophomore frame), and it appears unlikely that the film will finish anywhere close to $200 million domestically. Overseas, Superman Returns added $9.1 million, pushings its international total to $35.4 million.
Thanks to Pirates, the top ten films grossed a remarkable $204 million, up 50% from last year's comparable frame when Fantastic Four debuted at No. 1 with $56.1 million.
Report by
Join us in the box office messageboard to talk about
the weekend or how next week's slate will fare.
Obliterating virtually every opening weekend record on the books, Disney's motley crew Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest raided the box office with a staggering $135.6 million, becoming not only the biggest opening in history, but also the first film to ever break the $100 million barrier in less than three days (2). The debut annihilated the $114.8 million bow of 2002's Spider-Man, an opening weekend record that had lasted a remarkable four years. It was just the sixth film to ever open with over $100 million in a weekend, and the film's sizzling $32,817 average (in 4,133 theaters) is unprecedented among films debuting in wide release.
