“Pirates” Pillages, Sets Box-Office Record… (But Not the Big One)
By Norm Schrager at May 30, 2007 | 8:27 am | Print
Could Disney be unhappy with the record-breaking weekend from Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End?
Possibly. It depends on how high they’ve set their sights (and sails). Although Pirates swashbuckled to an approximate $140 million Memorial Day weekend, the true dead man’s chest remained unplundered: the all-time weekend record, set just three weeks earlier by Spider-Man 3. ($151.1 million)
Pirates had all hands on deck: It opened on 4300+ screens and had a phenomenal per-screen average of $32,000. (Comparably, Shrek the Third, in week #2, averaged $16,000 per screen.) (Thanks to The Movie Times.)
Will future weeks be kind to Pirates? And does the 2:45 run time prevent parents from bringing younger folks who may not sit still? Looks like the Spidey/Shrek/Pirates trilogy box-office battle is on… and then July blockbusters (Transfomers, Harry Potter) start eyeing their own record business.
TODAY’S QUESTION: Which summer blockbuster has the best shot at the biggest box office? And which of these first three films has been the most satisfying to you?
[...] Surfer snuck in during an empty summer weekend: The Big 3 (Spider-Man, Pirates, Shrek) have relinquished their collective stronghold on theaters and a killer combo hits next [...]