Disney\u2019s \u201cPirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales\u201d is sailing into first place at the domestic box office this weekend, but the story the numbers dictate is not one of swashbuckling heroics.<\/p>\n
Johnny Depp\u2019s fifth outing as Jack Sparrow is looking at a three-day total of $62.2 million from 4,276 locations, and a four-day holiday weekend sum of $77 million. If not for international appeal, that would be a let down for a movie riding on a $230 million production budget.<\/p>\n
The\u00a0first place finish also can\u2019t cover up a serious case of franchise fatigue. \u201cDead Men Tell No Tales\u201d is the lowest opening for a Pirates movie apart from the original, which earned over $46 million in its first weekend (and was also the only installation approved by critics). Last time out in 2011, \u201cOn Stranger Tides\u201d pulled in $90 million in its opening weekend. That\u2019s still less than 2007\u2019s \u201cAt World\u2019s End\u201d ($114.7 million) and 2006\u2019s \u201cDead Man\u2019s Chest\u201d ($135.6 million). But it\u2019s no question why Disney is still churning out sequels \u2014 within the next few days,\u00a0the franchise will have made\u00a0over $4\u00a0billion worldwide.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a trend that we\u2019ve seen play out,\u201d said Disney\u2019s distribution chief Dave Hollis. \u201cWe\u2019re setting out to make a film that resonates as a global film,\u201d he said, adding that audiences are \u201cstill here\u201d in the U.S. as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cDead Men Tell No Tales\u201d centers on Sparrow battling deadly ghost sailors, led by Javier Bardem\u2019s Captain Salazar. Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg directed the film, which also sees the return of both Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley, who were absent from the fourth installment.<\/p>\n
Over time, the \u201cPirates\u201d franchise has become more reliant on overseas ticket sales, and that\u2019s certainly the case this time out. The three-day estimate overseas is a whopping $208.4 million. Globally, the movie is expected to make $270.6 million this weekend, and over $300 million by the end of the four-day holiday weekend.\u00a0Since the franchise still makes money (even if U.S. grosses\u00a0are dwindling) this may\u00a0not be the last we see of Captain\u00a0Sparrow.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is one of the most prolific franchises of all time,\u201d Hollis said. \u201cWe find ourselves with another big opening weekend showcasing global appeal of the franchise.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Paramount\u2019s \u201cBaywatch\u201d was hoping to make an oceanic summer splash, but looks to have ended up in the kiddie pool. The rebooted property should land a three-day total of $18.1 million\u00a0from 3,647\u00a0locations and end the four-day holiday weekend with $22 million (not counting the money it made in sneaks on Wednesday). That\u2019s far below early estimates. The movie carries\u00a0a production budget above\u00a0$60 million.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we got pretty stung by reviews,\u201d said Paramount\u2019s distribution chief Megan Colligan, referring to the film\u2019s current 19% on Rotten Tomatoes. \u201cIt research tested extremely well,\u201d she added, saying that the stars are about to start promoting the film heavily abroad. \u201cWe\u2019re hopeful that our international numbers will help us with our overall.\u201d<\/p>\n
This is the latest in a string of misses for the studio this year including \u201cGhost in the Shell,\u201d \u201cRings,\u201d \u201cXXX: The Return of Xander Cage,\u201d and \u201cMonster Trucks.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron star in the comedy that spawned from the 1990s NBC drama starring David Hasselhoff and a team of lifeguards who patrolled the beaches of Los Angeles. This time around, it\u2019s Johnson, an experienced and devoted lifeguard, who butts heads with a new recruit, Efron, until they uncover a criminal plot.<\/p>\n
Priyanka Chopra, Alexandra Daddario, Jon Bass, Kelly Rohrbach, and Ilfenesh Hadera also star. Seth Gordon directed the film based on a screenplay by Damian Shannon and Mark Swift. Jay Scherick, David Ronn, Thomas Lennon, and Robert Ben Garant all have story credits.<\/p>\n
\u201cBaywatch\u201d\u00a0will land in third behind Disney\u2019s \u201cGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,\u201d which has proven to be the only major hit to emerge from the summer box office so far. The sequel looks to pull in another $24.2 million over the four-day weekend, raising its domestic total close to $340 million.<\/p>\n
Fox\u2019s \u201cAlien: Covenant\u201d should end up in fourth during its second weekend in theaters. The latest installment in the Alien franchise is looking at $13.1 million over the four-day stretch. Rounding out the top five, the YA adaptation \u201cEverything, Everything\u201d looks to have been a solid low-budget investment for Warner Bros. Its four day total should be about $7.6 million.<\/p>\n
This weekend, a number of films are meeting or passing milestones. Universal\u2019s \u201cFate of the Furious\u201d became the sixth film to earn over $1 billion overseas. Disney\u2019s \u201cBeauty and the Beast\u201d passed $500 million domestically putting it in elite company as well. With $783 million globally, Disney and Marvel\u2019s \u201cGuardians 2\u201d has surpassed the first \u201cGuardians\u201d movie\u2019s total earnings. Disney in general is keeping the box office afloat \u2014 as of Friday,\u00a0the studio became the first to have earned over $1 billion in 2017, reaching the milestone in near record time. The only time a studio has earned so much so quickly was Disney last year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Disney\u2019s \u201cPirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales\u201d is sailing into first place at the domestic box office this weekend, but the story the numbers dictate is not one of swashbuckling heroics. Johnny Depp\u2019s fifth outing as Jack Sparrow is looking at a three-day total of $62.2 million ...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":64789,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4545],"tags":[3441,5395],"class_list":["post-64788","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-box-office","tag-johnny-depp-en"],"acf":false,"yoast_head":"\n