Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest came out on top for the third week in a row, taking in another $35 million at the North American box office this weekend.
With a grand total of $321 million in just 17 days, the Disney sequel has passed its predecessor, 2003’s Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, which took in a domestic total of $305 million during its entire six-month run.
The newcomers this weekend fared as well as they could. The CGI-animated Monster House opened in second place with $23 million, while M. Night Shyamalan’s Lady in the Water debuted in third with $18.2 million. The fantastical movie about a water nymph living in an apartment building pool, however, was the weakest debut so far for writer-director Shyamalan, way behind his blockbusters The Sixth Sense and Signs.
Other openers included Kevin Smith’s sequel Clerks II, which came in sixth with $9.6 million, while the Uma Thurman–Luke Wilson starrer My Super Ex-Girlfriend placed seventh with $8.7 million.
The top 12 movies grossed $143.1 million, up 10.82 percent from last year’s draw of $129.1 but down 9.87 percent from last weekend, which took in $158.8 million.
The Top Three films at the box office this time last year were: Warner Bros.’ Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which stayed at No. 1 for a second week in a row with $28.2 million in 3,790 theaters, averaging $7,455 per theater; New Line’s Wedding Crashers, which also stayed in second place for a second week with $25.6 million in 2,925 theaters, averaging $8,774 per theaters; and 20th Century Fox’s Fantastic Four, which held onto third place in its third week with $12.6 million in 3,449 theaters, averaging $3,667 per theaters (Click here to read last year’s box office report).
BOX OFFICE TOP 10, ESTIMATES
(Source: Exhibitor Relations, Inc.)
No. 1: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (Buena Vista, PG-13)
• Gross: $35 million (-44%)
• Weeks opened: 3
• Theaters: 4,133 (unchanged)
• Per-theater average: $8,480
• Cume to date: $321.7 million
No. 2: Monster House (Sony, PG)
• Gross: $23 million
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 3,553
• Per-theater average: $6,473
No. 3: Lady in the Water (Warner Bros., PG-13)
• Gross: $18.2 million
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 3,235
• Per-theater average: $5,629
No. 4: You, Me and Dupree (Universal, PG-13)
• Gross: $12.8 million (-41%)
• Weeks opened: 2
• Theaters: 3,134
• Per-theater average: $4,084
• Cume to date: $45.3 million
No. 5: Little Man (Sony, PG-13)
• Gross: $11 million
• Weeks opened: 2
• Theaters: 2,537
• Per-theater average: $4,336
• Cume to date: $40.6 million
No. 6: Clerks II (MGM, R)
• Gross: $9.6 million
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 2,150
• Per-theater average: $4,477
No. 7: My Super Ex-Girlfriend (20th Century Fox, PG-13)
• Gross: $8.7 million
• Weeks opened: NEW!
• Theaters: 2,702
• Per-theater average: $3,220
No. 8: Superman Returns (Warner Bros., PG-13)
• Gross: $7.4 million (-39%)
• Weeks opened: 4
• Theaters: 2,826 (-939)
• Per-theater average: $2,640
• Cume to date: $178.4 million
No. 9: The Devil Wears Prada (20th Century Fox, PG-13)
• Gross: $7.4 million (-29%)
• Weeks opened: 4
• Theaters: 2,248 (-562)
• Per-theater average: $3,303
• Cume to date: $97.5 million
No. 10: Cars (Buena Vista, G)
• Gross: $4.9 million (-37%)
• Weeks opened: 7
• Theaters: 2,410 (-593)
• Per-theater average: $2,037
• Cume to date: $229.4 million
