Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End raked
in more than US$400 million since its release last week, smashing
the previous industry record set by Sony's Spider-Man 3
earlier this month, according to studio figures released
Monday.
The third, and probably the last, film of the Pirates of the
Caribbean franchise has grossed US$401 million in last six
days since opening in over 100 countries and territories, said Mark
Zoradi, president of Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Marketing
and Distribution.
The epic adventure starring Johnny Depp and Keira Knightley
overpassed Spider-Man 3, which set the previous record of
US$381.7 million for a Hollywood blockbuster in a six-day period of
opening.
Pirates opened in North America on Thursday and in some
international theaters on Wednesday.
It hauled in US$115.1 million in North America over the
three-day weekend, short of Spider-Man 3 and last summer's
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, which
respectively took in US$151.1 million and US$135.6 million in their
opening weekends.
But the film's four-day gross of US$142.1 million is the biggest
ever Memorial Day weekend gross, surpassing last year's X-Men:
The Last Stand, which brought in US$122.9 million over the
four-day weekend.
At the international box office, Pirates adventure
shattered records from Russia to Japan with its phenomenal US$245
million cume through Monday (including Monday estimates). The film
had record-breaking openings (figures are through Sunday) in their
respective markets in the following countries: Korea (US$18.4
million), Japan (US$15.9 million; US Productions only), Russia
(US$13.7 million), Spain (US$11.6 million),? and Netherlands
(US$2.8 million). It also set new Walt Disney Studio records in the
UK (US$26.6 million), France (US$17.7 million), Germany (US$16.8
million) and Australia (US$9.9 million).
With its six-day tally of US$245 million, Pirates of the
Caribbean: At World's End has set a new international record
that surpasses the previous six-day high of US$232 million set by
Spiderman 3 a few weeks ago. Pirates still has a
few markets yet to open including China and India.
Commenting on the announcement, Zoradi said, "We knew that
audiences all over the world were excited to see Johnny Depp and
the rest of the fantastic Pirates cast in this latest
adventure, but this record-setting response at the global box
office has been nothing short of incredible. Pirates of the
Caribbean: At World's End now has the distinction of having
the biggest opening in movie history, and we're extremely proud of
that achievement. Credit goes to the multitude of talent both in
front of and behind the camera. Jerry Bruckheimer, Gore Verbinski
and their exceptional teams as well as the creative minds of
writers Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio have proven to be the perfect
recipe for success."
At World's End is the third blockbuster in three weeks
to break major movie sales records, and industry observers note
that the red hot summer season has only started, with several major
pictures including Ocean's 13, Transformers and
Harry Porter and the Order of the Phoenix to be released
in coming weeks.
DreamWorks Animation's Shrek the Third came in second
over the three-day weekend with US$53 million, or US$69 million
over the four-day holiday.
While Spider-Man?3 brought in US$14.2 million to
take third over the three-day weekend, or about US$18 million over
four days. The superhero action film has grossed a whopping
US$307.6 million in North America since its record-breaking debut
three weeks ago.
The thriller Bug, starring Ashley Judd as a lonely
waitress who pairs up with a paranoid Gulf War veteran who sees
bugs in a spooky motel room, came in fourth with US$3.3 million
over three-days, and about US$4.2 million over the long
weekend.
The comedy Waitress, about a waitress and master pie
maker who finds herself pregnant while trapped in a bad marriage,
came in fifth with US$3.1 million over the three-day weekend, and
US$4 million through Monday.
The 12 top-grossing films brought in a combined US$250.2 million
over the Memorial Day weekend, up 8 percent from the US$231.8
million generated during the same period a year earlier.
?
(Xinhua News Agency May 29, 2007)
