Depp marks the spot as ‘Pirates’ sequel lands record $132 million debut
Los Angeles ? Johnny Depp’s boozy, woozy buccaneer Jack Sparrow has plundered the box office, with “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” taking in a record $132 million in its first three days, according to studio estimates Sunday.
Disney’s swashbuckling sequel sailed past the previous all-time best debut, 2002’s “Spider-Man,” which took in $114.8 million in its first weekend.
“Dead Man’s Chest” also did nearly three times the business of its predecessor, “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl,” which took in $46.6 million over opening weekend in 2003.
The sequel surpassed that total in its first day alone, taking in $55.5 million Friday to beat the previous single-day record of $50 million, set last year by “Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith.” With $44.7 million on Saturday, “Dead Man’s Chest” also became the first movie to top $100 million in just two days.
Despite sky-high projections for the “Pirates” sequel from industry analysts, producer Jerry Bruckheimer said he had expected “Dead Man’s Chest” to open closer to the $77 million debut weekend of last spring’s “The Da Vinci Code.”
The movie sent Hollywood’s overall business soaring. The top 12 films grossed $206.5 million, up 48 percent from the same weekend last year, when “Fantastic Four” opened with $56.1 million.
“Dead Man’s Chest” raked in nearly double the total of the rest of the top 12 combined. The previous weekend’s top film, “Superman Returns,” fell to No. 2 with $21.85 million, down 58 percent from opening weekend.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters.
1. “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest,” $132 million.
2. “Superman Returns,” $21.85 million.
3. “The Devil Wears Prada,” $15.6 million.
4. “Click,” $12 million.
5. “Cars,” $10.3 million.
6. “Nacho Libre,” $3.3 million.
7. “The Lake House,” $2.8 million.
8. “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift,” $2.5 million.
9. “Waist Deep,” $1.9 million.
10. “The Break-Up,” $1.6 million.