‘Pirates’ plunders the weekend, but the totals tell their own tale
Weekend Box Office - May 26-28, 2017
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) - “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” opened to an estimated $62 million over the weekend and is eyeing a four-day total of $76 million. That’s not a terrible start, although it is well below the totals that the previous sequels were able to bring in over their debut weekends.
Critics have not been kind to the film, many pointing out that Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow has become increasingly tired as the franchise has progressed, and while I do agree that the sequels have never delivered anything remotely as enjoyable as the original film, I don’t think Depp should be taking all the blame.
As long as the international numbers hold strong - currently its international total is $208 million - the film should turn a profit despite its $230 million budget. Conventional wisdom suggests that the film needs to make around $500 million to break even (I'd guess the number is actually closer to $600 million for this particular title). A worldwide opening of $270 million puts the film on course to do at least that. Besides, Disney is clearly intent on bringing a sixth installment to theaters in the not-so-distant future. Frankly, “Dead Men Tell No Tales” exists only to set up the next film.
How does “Dead Men Tell No Tales” stack up against the franchise’s previous opening weekends? “On Stranger Tides” (2011) opened at $90 million, “At World’s End” (2007) scored $114.7 million, “Dead Man’s Chest” (2006) racked up $135 million and the original film, "The Curse of the Black Pearl" (2003), opened to $46.6 million in 2003.
The weekend's other wide release, “Baywatch,” looks to be headed for a third-place finish with $18 million. Add in Monday, and the film will earn around $22 million over the extended weekend. Experts had pegged the film to finish closer to $28 million for the four-day weekend.
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” brought in $19.8 million and is expected to finish the four-day weekend with $24.5 million. I’m still not convinced the film will make it to the $1 billion mark. That’s something of a disappointment considering how well the film opened.
“Alien: Covenant” took a devastating 70-percent drop with a total of only $10.5 million. Its domestic earnings sit at $57 million. Director Ridley Scott has talked about making two more films in the "Alien" universe. I personally hope that he at least gets one more film made before Fox decides to pull the plug.
“Everything, Everything” rounds out the top five with $6.1 million. The film has now earned $21 million.
In other news, “The Fate of the Furious” hit the $1 billion mark internationally. The worldwide total puts the film at $1.22 billion. The film is still playing second fiddle to “Beauty and the Beast.” Disney’s live-action remake passed the $500 million mark domestically this weekend. Its worldwide total sits at $1.23 billion.
