Pirates the Surprise Hit of the Year

July 23, 2003

There have been few hits this year, with even fewer surprise hits. Sure, the fact that Finding Nemo is leading the box office race is a surprise to many, but the fact that it was a hit was almost guaranteed back when it was first announced

However, if you asked earlier in the year which movies would have a shot at $200 million almost nobody would have picked Pirates of the Caribbean. It was based on a ride at Disneyland, and the previous attempt to adapt a ride led to the bomb The Country Bears. And it was a pirate movie, the last pirate movie to do well at the box office was … does Muppet Treasure Island count? But after being in the theatres just two weekends it seems like $200 million is almost a sure bet. The real question is, how high can it go?

Just 13 days into its run it is the fifth highest grossing movie of the year, having just passed Anger Management. However, there's a large gap to get to X-Men 2 at $214 million. After 13 days, X-Men 2 had $155 million compared to the Pirates' $138 million, however, the Pirates are also pulling in more than twice the weekday numbers. And in its third weekend it should earn more than X-Men did on the same weekend. Looks like beating the mutants is just a matter of time.

And that might not be the end of the Pirates conquests.

Submitted by:

Filed under: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, X-Men 2, Anger Management