"Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" Tops Weekend Box Office

5/23/2011 12:01 PM ET

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(RTTNews) - In a weekend with only one wide release, "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" was far and away the top movie at the box office, earning a studio estimated $90 million on a per theater average of more than $20,000. "Bridesmaids" also posted a big second weekend as the R-rated comedy hauled in $21 million to bring its 10-day total to an impressive $59 million. "Fast Five" and "Thor" did struggle a little with the release of "Pirates," though both still posted strong overall numbers considering the level of competition.

Though enthusiasm for the series has waned a little bit since "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" hit theaters in 2007, "On Stranger Tides" still proved that Buena Vista/Disney can find its audience. With a $90 million domestic opening, the latest "Pirates" surpassed the $86 million that "Fast Five" earned to post the biggest weekend of the year thus far.
But "On Stranger Tides" didn't just do well in the U.S., as it also received an aggressive worldwide release as well. "On Stranger Tides" hauled in a ridiculous $256 million worldwide in just a single weekend, giving it the top foreign release of all-time. Though "On Stranger Tides" will have some major competition over the next month, it will likely remain a significant foreign earner due to the familiarity of the series, the popularity of Johnny Depp and the top-tier special effects. Look for "On Stranger Tides" to continue to roll well into June.
While mainstream audiences packed in to see "Pirates," the young adult crowd still came out in droves to see comedy "Bridesmaids." Backed by very strong critical support and positive internet buzz, "Bridesmaids" brought in a respectable $21 million in its second weekend in theaters. With a drop of just 19.8% from its opening a week ago, it looks like "Bridesmaids" has a significant audience and will likely continue to do fairly well even with major competition next weekend from "The Hangover Part II."
Considering that "Bridesmaids" carries a production budget of just $32.5 million, a 10-day total right around $60 million is a very nice figure for distributor Universal and it looks to be one of the top comedy releases of the year. Even if "Bridesmaids" won't have much appeal outside of the U.S., it will likely come close to $100 million in the U.S. by the time its theatrical run is finished.
Also continuing to succeed on a much smaller scale is "Jumping the Broom." With a miniscule production budget of just $6.6 million and a release in the 2,500-theater range, "Jumping the Broom" has hauled in an impressive $31 million for distributor TriStar in 17 days in theaters. Even though "Jumping the Broom" isn't likely to last in the top ten for much longer, it's already a quiet commercial success and will likely inspire similar releases in the future.
 1   2   Next Page