Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Box Office: Trailing Predecessors

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides with Penélope Cruz: Though trailing the two previous franchise sequels, Rob Marshall’s critically excoriated mega-budget fantasy swashbuckler is an undeniable box office mega-hit in the making.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides box office: Starring Johnny Depp and Penélope Cruz, Rob Marshall’s sequel is trailing its predecessors in the domestic market

May 20–22 weekend box office: Starring Johnny Depp and Penélope Cruz, Rob Marshall’s Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides – the fourth entry in the globally popular fantasy swashbuckler franchise – easily topped the North American (U.S. and Canada only) box office chart, grossing a whopping $90.2 million from 4,155 theaters (including $4.7 million from Thursday midnight screenings) according to final studio figures found at boxofficemojo.com.

The less-than-stellar news: On Stranger Tides’ weekend total – 46 percent of which from pricier 3D houses – was around $15–$25 million below what prognosticators, among them distributor Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, had been expecting.

But don’t shed any tears for Disney.

Notwithstanding its mostly terrible reviews – 26 percent approval rating among Rotten Tomatoes’ “top critics” – the $250 million* production (as always, not including marketing and distribution expenses) had 2011’s biggest domestic debut to date, beating the $86.2 million Justin Lin’s (2D) action sequel Fast Five earned three weeks ago.

And then there’s the international market. More on that crucial Pirates of the Caribbean constituency further below.

* Several early reports had pegged On Stranger Tides’ production budget at $150 million. That sounds much too low, unless it reflects some mega-rebates.

Comparisons to three previous Johnny Depp blockbusters

Below are a trio of brief comparisons (not adjusted for inflation) between On Stranger Tides and three other mega-budget Walt Disney Studios releases also starring Johnny Depp: The two previous (2D) Pirates of the Caribbean sequels – Dead Man’s Chest and At World’s End, both directed by Gore Verbinski (who also handled the original Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl) – and Tim Burton’s 3D fantasy adventure Alice in Wonderland.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest opened domestically with $135.6 million from 4,133 locations in July 2006, ending its run with $423.3 million, in addition to $642.9 million internationally. Worldwide total: $1.066.2 billion. Budget: $225 million. Also in the cast: Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End opened domestically with $114.7 million from 4,362 locations – plus $13.2 million from Thursday screenings (four-day total: $127.9 million) in May 2007, ending its run with $309.4 million, in addition to $652.3 million internationally. Worldwide total: $961.7 million. Budget: $300 million. Also in the cast: Keira Knightley, Orlando Bloom, and Geoffrey Rush.

Alice in Wonderland opened domestically with $116.1 million from 3,728 locations in March 2010, ending its run with $334.2 million, in addition to $691.3 million internationally. Worldwide total: $1.025.5 billion. Budget: $200 million. Also in the cast: Mia Wasikowska.

As can be seen, On Stranger Tides opened far behind all three titles in the domestic market. And it cost quite a bit more than both Dead Men’s Chest and Alice in Wonderland.

But again, shed no tears for Disney.

Thank heaven for little foreign moviegoers

Although there’s no way On Stranger Tides will be able to recover its overall cost at the U.S. and Canada box office, Disney’s fantasy adventure wasn’t made with domestic audiences in mind.

Boosted by the 3D/IMAX surcharges (and a weaker U.S. dollar), On Stranger Tides took in an estimated $256.3 million internationally in its first five days, thus breaking the record set by David Yates’ mega-blockbuster Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ($236 million) two years ago.

On Strangers Tides’ overseas total to date: $286.5 million, or close to 74 percent of its worldwide cume.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides movie with Johnny Depp and Geoffrey Rush as, respectively, Capt. Jack Sparrow and the pirate Barbossa: Like that other 2011 mega-hit Fast Five, On Stranger Tides provides further evidence that moviegoers are desperate for “original, quality” entertainment.

On Stranger Tides movie cast

Based on Tom Powers’ novel of the same name (minus the Pirates of the Caribbean bit), On Stranger Tides chronicles the adventures of Capt. Jack Sparrow and the mysterious Angelica as they search for the mythical Fountain of Youth.

Besides three-time Academy Award nominee Johnny Depp (The Curse of the Black Pearl, 2003; etc.) and winner Penélope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona, 2008) as the Fountain of Youth seekers (the duo had previously appeared together in Ted Demme’s 2001 crime biopic Blow), On Stranger Tides features Oscar winner Geoffrey Rush (Shine, 1996) as the pirate Barbossa and veteran Ian McShane (The Wild and the Willing, Villain) as the pirate Bluebeard.

Also: Sam Claflin, Astrid Bergès-Frisbey, Kevin McNally, Stephen Graham, Richard Griffiths, Greg Ellis, Óscar Jaenada, Roger Allam, Sebastian Armesto, Damian O’Hare, and veteran Rolling Stones rocker Keith Richards as Capt. Sparrow’s father.

Plus Oscar winner Judi Dench (Shakespeare in Love, 1998) in a cameo.

Missing from the action: Pirates of the Caribbean stalwarts Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom.

Global phenomenon

Update: Rob Marshall’s Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides ultimately collected $241.1 million domestically and a sensational $805.6 million internationally. Worldwide total: $1.046.7 billion.

Despite its exorbitant cost, On Stranger Tides turned out to be hugely profitable.

Its top international markets were Japan ($108.9 million), China (an estimated $70 million), Russia/CIS ($63.7 million), Germany ($62.4 million), the United Kingdom/Ireland ($54.2 million), France ($49.2 million), Brazil ($31.1 million), Australia ($29 million), Mexico ($29 million), Spain ($27.1 million), South Korea ($25.6 million), Italy ($24.5 million), The Netherlands ($14.6 million), Sweden ($13.2 million), Argentina ($11.7 million), and Poland ($10.1 million).

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

A fifth – and undoubtedly final – franchise entry was released in May 2017:

Directed by Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg, and starring Johnny Depp, Javier Bardem, and Geoffrey Rush, the 3D Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales opened domestically with a – relatively speaking – meager $63 million from 4,276 locations, ending its run with $172.6 million.

The international total was a more modest though still remarkable $623.4 million. Worldwide: $795.9 million. Budget: $230 million.

Once again, thank heaven for little foreign moviegoers, resolutely buying tickets in the most remarkable way – and thus rescuing Dead Men Tell No Tales from box office disasterdom.

Top Five movies: Thor nears $400 million worldwide while Fast Five is year’s biggest global blockbuster – for the time being

Rounding out the Top Five movies on this past weekend’s domestic box office chart were:

• At no. 2, Paul Feig’s raunchy comedy Bridesmaids grossed $20.9 million (down a modest 20 percent on its second weekend). Cume: $59.3 million. Cast: Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Maya Rudolph, and Rose Byrne.
• At no. 3, Kenneth Branagh’s superhero actioner Thor grossed $15.5 million (down 56 percent on its third weekend). Cume: $145.4 million. Worldwide: $392.4 million. Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins, and Tom Hiddleston.
• At no. 4, Justin Lin’s crime actioner Fast Five grossed $10.6 million (down 48 percent on its fourth weekend). Cume: $186.2 million. Worldwide: $506.2 million – the year’s biggest global hit to date (soon to be swept away by On Stranger Tides). Cast: Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, and Dwayne Johnson.
• At no. 5, Scott Charles Stewart’s horror actioner Priest grossed $4.8 million (down an alarming 68 percent on its second weekend). Cume: $23.9 million. Cast: Paul Bettany, Karl Urban, Cam Gigandet, and Maggie Q.

”Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Box Office” endnotes

All four Pirates of the Caribbean movies were produced by Jerry Bruckheimer.

Also this past weekend, Woody Allen’s acclaimed comedy fantasy Midnight in Paris boasted the year’s highest per-theater average. In the cast: Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, and Marion Cotillard.

Unless otherwise noted, “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Box Office: Trailing Predecessors” box office information via Box Office Mojo. Budget info – which should be taken with a grain of salt – via BOM and/or other sources (e.g., the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Screen Daily, The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Deadline.com, etc.).

Comments about Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and other titles being hits/profitable or flops/money-losers at the box office (see paragraph below) are based on the available data about their production budget, additional marketing and distribution expenses (as a general rule of thumb, around 50 percent of the production cost), and worldwide gross (as a general rule of thumb when it comes to the Hollywood studios, around 50–55 percent of the domestic gross and 40 percent of the international gross goes to the distributing/producing companies).

Bear in mind that data regarding rebates, domestic/international sales/pre-sales, and other credits and/or contractual details that help to alleviate/split production costs and apportion revenues are oftentimes unavailable, and that reported international grosses may be incomplete (i.e., not every territory is fully – or even partially – accounted for).

Also bear in mind that ancillary revenues (domestic/global television rights, home video sales, streaming, merchandising, etc.) can represent anywhere between 40–70 percent of a movie’s total take. However, these revenues and their apportionment are only infrequently made public.

See also: The Little Mermaid is an underwhelming hit at the global box office.

Geoffrey Rush, Johnny Depp, and Penélope Cruz Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides movie image: Peter Mountain | Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

“Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Box Office: Trailing Predecessors” last updated in February 2023.