14 DAY TRIAL // It may have gotten poor reviews and a low score with critics, but there’s nothing stopping the latest installment in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise, “On Stranger Tides,” from breaking record after record. Over the weekend, it became the biggest international opening of all times.
Domestically too, the Johnny Depp-driven 3D Disney tentpole fared excellently, grossing a little over $90 million in its opening weekend and thus securing the top position of the box office.
The Hollywood Reporter notes that Disney would have probably preferred an opening of $100 million in the US, but at least studio bosses can find consolation in the fact that, internationally, the film broke all the records ever.
“Fueled by foreign moviegoers, Disney’s 3D Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides opened to $346.4 million at the worldwide box office to grab the fourth-best global bow of all time, as well as the biggest international opening ever,” THR says.
“On Stranger Tides grossed a massive $256.3 million overseas, nearly three times the $90.1 million earned in North America,” says the publication.
With an estimated budget of $250 million (before marketing costs, which are believed to have driven a hole in Disney’s pockets), it’s safe to say that “Pirates” remains one of the most successful and profitable film franchises ever – and that, in its first week only.
The fact that the film got very poor reviews from critics only makes its success all the more astounding, proving that true fans will never be talked out of seeing a movie just because they’re told it’s not worth their time.
“I think Rob Marshall obviously made one hell of a movie, and when you team Jerry Bruckheimer and Johnny Depp, it’s dynamite,” Chuck Viane, Disney president of worldwide distribution, says for THR.
“And for me, I will never look $90 million in the face and say it’s not a successful opening. Tracking had always aimed at this number, but everybody tried to make it more than the realty of tracking was. And there’s no doubt but that the international box office is becoming more and more important,” Viane adds.