"Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest"
"Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" sailed into more than 4,000 U.S. movie theaters on Friday seeking a box office treasure that industry watchers think could beat the $114.8 million record opening of "Spider-Man."
"Dead Man's Chest" already ranks as the third-widest film release ever in the United States with a debut in 4,133 venues, just behind second-place "Spider-Man 2," which opened in 4,152 theaters, and "Shrek 2," which holds the record at 4,163, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Both of those films were 2004 releases.
Some analysts expect "Dead Man's Chest" will top the $100 million dollar box office mark during its first three days, while others put the opening weekend range at $90 million to $100 million.
"It just has everything going for it to give it one of those openings that everyone is going to talk about," said Exhibitor Relations President Paul Dergarabedian.
In international markets, "Dead Man's Chest" debuted in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand on Friday, and South Korea and Thailand on Thursday. Distributor the Walt Disney Co. will rapidly add more countries in coming weeks.
"Dead Man's Chest" is a follow-up to summer 2003's "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl," which dug up $654 million worth of box office gold during its long run, establishing a loyal fan base for the sequel.
Moreover, the movie is one of the last major event films of the summer, and is opening on a non-holiday Friday, which tends to draw more people to theaters in a shorter period of time.
Indeed, "Spider-Man" opened on a non-holiday weekend in May 2002. The same is true for the No. 2 debut of "Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith," which grossed $108.4 million in its first three days, and No. 3 "Shrek 2" with $108 million. Those films opened in May 2005 and May 2004, respectively.
Advance ticket sales for "Dead Man's Chest" were strong. Movietickets.com reported its sales at three times the rate for "Spider-Man 2" in 2004, and Fandango.com said "Dead Man's Chest" has sold more tickets on its site than any film before, surpassing last year's "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire."
Brandon Gray, president of tracker Boxofficemojo.com, estimated that the latest "Pirates" debut will top $100 million, but added that even if it doesn't, the movie will play strongly during weekdays.
"It is the last event picture of the season, and will have free rein in theaters for quite some time," he said.
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