Revisiting Johnny Depp's Highest-Grossing 'Pirates Of The Caribbean' Films

Quick Links

• Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl (2003)

• Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)

• Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World’s End (2007)

• Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)

• Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006)

Highlights

• The first Pirates Of The Caribbean film, Curse Of The Black Pearl, was a surprise hit, grossing $654 million worldwide and solidifying Johnny Depp's status as a leading man.
• Despite mixed reviews, Dead Men Tell No Tales earned $795.9 million globally and proved the franchise's international popularity.
• On Stranger Tides , despite being the most expensive film ever made at the time, grossed over $1 billion worldwide, showing that audiences were still captivated by Jack Sparrow's adventures.

Johnny Depp's swashbuckling Captain Jack Sparrow may be away from the high seas for now, but the Pirates Of The Caribbean franchise remains a treasure trove of box office booty.

Loosely based on an iconic Disney theme park attraction of the same name, the Pirates Of The Caribbean franchise launched in 2003 with The Curse Of The Black Pearl.

This Disney juggernaut sailed its way to an astounding $4.5 billion haul across five films, igniting a pop culture phenomenon and cementing Depp as a Hollywood A-lister.

But like any stormy voyage, the franchise has weathered rough waters, including Depp's departure following his turbulent legal battles.

Since the release of the last film in 2017, attempts have been made to keep the franchise afloat.

This includes an anticipated (but not officially confirmed) sixth installment starring Johnny Depp, and a potential reboot or a spin-off featuring Margot Robbie.

The Highest-Grossing Johnny Depp Movies Collectively Made Billions

Though questions linger in terms of the future of the Pirates Of The Caribbean franchise, one thing is evident – this swashbuckling saga plundered a treasure trove of gold at the box office, not to mention mountains of pirate hats and skull mugs sold everywhere as merchandise.

Considering that, let's revisit Johnny Depp's highest-grossing Pirates Of The Caribbean films, and highlight how each film measures up with respect to box office bullion.

5 Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl (2003)

Curse Of The Black Pearl's Global Box Office Take: $654 Million

Forget buried treasure maps – 2003's Pirates Of The Caribbean was a gamble which paid off, and buried Disney in gold.

Based on a theme park ride, Pirates Of The Caribbean's premise initially seemed like a buried treasure nobody wanted to dig up – boy, were they wrong!

Pirates Of The Caribbean is known for being based on a Disney attraction, but it wasn't Disney's first ride-to-screen adaptation.

That honor goes to 1997's Tower Of Terror, a film based on an attraction of the same name .

This high-seas adventure, piloted by Johnny Depp's unforgettable Captain Jack Sparrow, became an instant blockbuster.

Defying pessimistic pre-release expectations, the first film was a huge box-office success. It received generally positive reviews from critics.

The Curse Of The Black Pearl hauled in $305 million domestically and $348 million internationally for a total of $654 million, making it the fourth highest-grossing film of 2003.

The Curse Of The Black Pearl was showered with five Oscar nominations, including one for Depp's iconic performance as Sparrow:

Pirates Of The Caribbean has been widely viewed as the film that crowned Depp as a leading man at the box-office, after many years as a "cult movie" star.

The Curse Of The Black Pearl may not be the biggest treasure on this list, but it's undeniable proof that sometimes, the greatest riches come from unexpected voyages.

4 Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)

Dead Men Tell No Tales' Global Box Office Take: $795.9 Million

Captain Jack Sparrow's fifth voyage faced choppy waters and headwinds.

In 2017, Dead Men Tell No Tales attempted to recapture the magic with returning faces like Will Turner, and a fresh-faced son on deck.

On this voyage, Captain Jack faced ghostly pirates under Captain Salazar and teamed up with Will and Elizabeth's son, Henry, to break Will's curse.

Landlubbers in North America weren't keen, coughing up a mere $172 million, making it the franchise's lowest-grossing entry on home shores. Critics weren't much kinder, casting doubt with a 30 percent Rotten Tomatoes score.

Thankfully, international waters remained loyal to the franchise, boosting the film to $623 million.

Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales ended its theatrical run with a global total of $795.9 million, against an estimated production budget of $230 million.

While not the shiniest doubloon on this list, Dead Men Tell No Tales proved the franchise's global love story, even if domestic winds had died down.

The Highest-Grossing Movie Franchises Of All Time

Deadline Hollywood speculated that the film would turn a net profit of around $280 million, after accounting for expenses.

3 Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World’s End (2007)

At World’s End's Global Box Office Take: $961.6 Million

The third chapter, At World's End, debuted in theaters in 2007, with Captain Jack Sparrow's fate hanging in the balance.

Picking up where Dead Man's Chest left off, it served as the epic finale to director Gore Verbinski's trilogy.

Jack, Will, and Elizabeth faced off against Davy Jones and the East India Trading Company in a battle for the seas.

New faces like Chow Yun-Fat and Keith Richards added spice to the high-seas adventure:

While it didn't quite match Dead Man's Chest's billion-dollar haul, At World's End still raked in $309 million domestically (almost $475 million today) and an impressive $652 million internationally – for a global bounty of $961 million.

At World's End even claimed the title of 2007's highest-grossing film, wresting it away from heavyweights like Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix ($941,676,843) Spider-Man 3 ($894,983,373), and Shrek The Third ($813,367,380).

Though critics offered mixed reviews, questioning the plot and pacing, fans praised the performances and visual effects.

At World's End may not be the series' crown jewel, but it remains a gold-filled chapter that closed the pirate hoard on Verbinski's cinematic pirate saga with a resounding wave of box office success.

2 Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)

On Stranger Tides' Global Box Office Take: $1,046,721,266

The seas calmed after At World's End, but Captain Jack Sparrow couldn't stay on dry land long.

In 2011, On Stranger Tides set sail with Rob Marshall taking the helm.

Though Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley were absent, Penélope Cruz's Angelica and Sam Claflin's Philip filled the void, alongside the fearsome Blackbeard, played by Ian McShane:

This new crew, and the film's lavish visual effects cost Disney $401 million in budget, making it the most expensive film ever produced at the time of its release.

It remained in that top spot for several years before it was usurped by Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2015.

Domestic audiences remained aloof, generating a $241 million box office total – falling short of its predecessors.

But On Stranger Tides earned $804.6 million in other countries, for a worldwide total of $1.045 billion.

Though critics were wary, audiences worldwide proved there was still plenty of magic (and gold) in Jack Sparrow's treasure chest.

1 Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006)

Dead Man’s Chest's Global Box Office Take: $1,066,179,747

Picking up where the first film left off, Pirates Of The Caribbean:Dead Man's Chest (2006) plunges deeper into the lore of the pirate world, with Captain Jack Sparrow as its undeniable guiding star.

With an expanded cast featuring Bill Nighy's Davy Jones, Stellan Skarsgård, Naomie Harris, and Tom Hollander, the film was shot back-to-back with its sequel, a strategy inspired by The Lord Of The Rings' success.

Dead Man's Chest rode a wave of immense pre-release hype fueled by the original's massive popularity.

It shattered numerous box office records, raking in $423 million domestically and $642 million internationally.

This $1.066 billion global haul marked the third film in history to cross the billion-dollar mark, joining the ranks of Titanic and The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King.

Critical reception was mixed, with praise for the visuals and Depp and Nighy's performances countered by critiques of the film's length and plot.

Despite mixed reviews, Dead Man's Chest was a commercial juggernaut.

It held a record as the fastest film to reach $1 billion at the worldwide box office (63 days), until Avatar surpassed it in 2010.

Dead Man's Chest was the highest-grossing film of 2006, and Disney's biggest earner until Toy Story 3 in 2010.

The Highest Grossing Animated Movies Of All Time Are Also Works Of Art

The film earned four Academy Award nominations, winning in the category of "Best Visual Effects," and ranks as Johnny Depp's highest-grossing Pirates Of The Caribbean movie.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTEq6CcoJWowW%2BvzqZmo6eYo7u6ecOep6lloJ6%2FosDErGSonl2ptaZ5wpqpopqSmq6veceinqGdo6l6qL7OrKqippdk