'Pirates' still in record business

Tops int'l b.o. again; now biggest Dis pic of all time

In its seventh consecutive weekend as the top-grossing film internationally, the Walt Disney Co.'s "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" continues to notch significant records, becoming Disney's biggest release of all time, the 12th highest-grossing title ever released abroad and the industry's sixth-ranked worldwide hit of all time.

With a weekend estimate of $25.5 million from 6,222 screens in 51 territories, "Dead Man's Chest" pushed its international gross total to $522.7 million. Its worldwide cume stands at $923.8 million, pushing it above the $866.9 million worldwide gross of Disney's previous record holder, 2003's "Finding Nemo."

"Dead Man's Chest's" boxoffice momentum is such that the title bounced from being the industry's No. 12 all-time hit globally last weekend to No. 6.

It is poised this week to climb another two ranks to No. 4, overtaking 1999's "Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace" ($924.3 million worldwide) and 2002's "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" ($926.3 million) on the all-time hit list. ("Dead Man's Chest" opens Friday in Greece and Sept. 13 in Italy.)

Key holdovers include Spain, which generated a weekend estimate of $5.1 million -- down 54% from last weekend -- at 788 screens for a 10-day market total of $24.6 million. Buena Vita International, which distributes Disney films, claimed last week that "Dead Man's Chest" registered the biggest opening weekend ever in Spain. Sony Pictures Releasing International challenges that claim, asserting that "The Da Vinci Code" remains the market's opening-weekend champ.

In Japan, "Dead Man's Chest" accumulated a market total of $69.3 million thanks to an estimated $4.1 million in its fifth weekend at 711 screens. The film remains No. 1 in Germany for a fourth consecutive weekend with an estimated $3.5 million from 1,383 screens, for a market cume of $52.4 million.

The market totals in the U.K. and France also are mighty. In its seventh weekend in the former, "Dead Man's Chest" pulled $1.9 million from 471 screens for a market total of $89 million. In France, the cume stands at $37.4 million thanks to an estimated $4.8 million from the third weekend at 750 screens.

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by: Frank Segers
source: vnuemedia.com
published on: August 21, 2006
This article was posted at the JohnnyDepp-Zone by FANtasticJD