Captain Jack is back, in a huge way. On Friday, July 7, he swaggered his way onto over 4,100 movie screens across the US…the third widest Disney release ever. Even so, lines to the cinemas stretched for blocks in some cities, and shows were sold out well in advance.
On Thursday, one day before the Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest US opening, Fandango.com announced a new ticketing record; the movie now stands as Fandango’s top day-before-opening ticket seller, the previous record holder being Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. For several hours on Thursday, Dead Man’s Chest was selling an average of seven tickets per second, and hundreds of midnight showings sold out in advance across the country. According to Chuck Davis, chairman of Fandango, “Pirates advance ticket sales have been truly extraordinary, and we expect to break even more records on Friday…[w]e are pleased that millions of moviegoers are taking advantage of the ease of Fandango to avoid sold out signs at the theatre this weekend.”
Davis’s Friday expectations may have been right on target. Although Fandango has not released an official count of online ticket sales for Friday, Box Office Mojo is reporting that Dead Man’s Chest took in an astounding $55 million on Friday…handily setting a new record as the highest opening-day box office in American history. The previous record holder was Spider-Man 2. Industry insiders estimate the total box office for the weekend could top $120 million, which would also be a new record.
Dead Man’s Chest also broke UK box office records on its July 6 opening, taking in £2.3 million and also breaking Spider-Man 2’s opening-day record of £1.57 million. Advance ticket sales at UK cinemas topped £1 million.
Thanks to Johnny Depp’s performance as Captain Jack Sparrow…helped in no small part by Disney’s in-your-face marketing…Dead Man’s Chest is already breaking records, and could be well on its way to becoming the blockbuster of the decade. Pirate mania has swept the world, mate…so if you plan on braving the crowd of armchair sailors at the theatre this weekend, buy yer ticket online or get there very early, savvy?
Copyright 2006 by Mortsmuse/InDeppth. All rights reserved.
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