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Will Latest Pirates of the Caribbean Film Deliver for Disney?

John Harrington

Published: May 26, 2017 8:45 am

Last Updated: January 12, 2020 11:37 am

“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales,” the fifth installment of the blockbuster Disney movie franchise, is set to open Memorial Day weekend. Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) is betting big on the power of its sequels, a strong returning cast, well-received 3D format and a surprise appearance by the most famous man in the world.

The budget for this film is $230 million. According to Variety, industry forecasts for the movie are for $80 million at 4,276 North American locations for the first unofficial weekend of summer. The international debut of the movie is Wednesday, and predictions are the film should bring in between $150 million and $175 million, according to Variety.

The Pirates franchise has the domestic record for Memorial Day, set in 2007 when “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” pulled in $139 million over the four days. The four previous Pirates movies have taken in $1.28 billion in the United States and $2.45 billion in foreign markets. Pirates is the 16th-highest grossing movie franchise of all time. The most recent Pirates movie, “On Stranger Tides,” was released six years ago.

“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales,” benefits from the return of cast members Johnny Depp as stoner pirate Jack Sparrow, Orlando Bloom as Will Turner and Geoffrey Rush as Captain Barbossa. And there is a surprise appearance by Paul McCartney as Sparrow’s Uncle Jack.

In this latest version, Jack Sparrow is battling deadly ghost sailors, led by new villain Captain Salazar (Javier Bardem), who has escaped from the Devil’s Triangle and plans to kill every pirate. Based on critics’ reviews, the movie is also battling bad press. It received a 33% “rotten” on ‎Rotten Tomatoes‎.

Pirates also may benefit from what one reviewer on CinemaBlend called a “more refined era of 3D.” The reviewer said the film’s visuals are well-tailored to a “spectacle full of 3D delights.” The review also gave kudos to Pirates IMAX 3D presentation that takes advantage of the format with a “specially formatted full screen vision.” The 3D reception for the latest Pirates flick is in contrast to that of “On Stranger Tides,” which the CinemaBlend reviewer panned as “abysmal.”

“Dead Men Tell No Tales,” which is rated PG-13, is going up against the R-rated “Baywatch” this Memorial Day weekend.