The public has been denied a movie they could get behind all summer. Superman Returns didn’t have wide appeal (as this weekend’s bloodbath drop-off will prove). Tommy Cruise hurt M:I3 more than anyone would have guessed and Poseidon was a punch line. X3 got Ratnered even though it opened at a huge $45m (and then tailed off HARD). All of these factors contributed a hungry and anxious public. Lo and behold, they binged on Pirates Friday night.
When the smoke cleared Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest opened at an astounding $55m on Friday. To put this in the proper perspective:
- It was the biggest opening in history by a full ten percent, $5m higher than second place Star Wars Episode III.
- It beat tiny little movies like Harry Potter, Spiderman 1 & 2, and any Matrix or LOTR. It beat all comers like… well let’s just say it really beat them. I don’t think I’m allowed stepchild references here.
- Pirates accomplished this even given its bloated 2.5 hour running time which makes Superman look even more flawed. Some of the defenders want to tell you that one didn’t cash in due to length. Pirates just slapped the taste out of their mouth.
So what does all this mean? Well, we still have to see what kind of legs it has. But personally I’m very pleased because I’ve been reading some negative reviews and I was starting to become introspective about my gushing diatribe review (read it here). Now it seems like there is a real chance the general public might agree with me if this one can stay strong in week 2. It also means the $114m record opening weekend of Spider-Man is in big trouble. Tune in to Monday’s Oracle to see how this all plays out…
