May 26, 2012

Jack Sparrow, Captain of the Box Office

by Rebecca Pahle | Published May 23, 2011

Jack Sparrow (Captain Jack Sparrow, sorry) topped the box office yet again, with the fourth movie in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, earning $90.1 million in its first weekend. Bridesmaids held onto the number two spot, with its weekend gross of $21 million bringing its total so far to $59.5 million. Last week’s number one, Thor, fell to number three (weekend gross $15.5 million, total gross $145.4 million), while Fast Five (weekend gross $10.6 million, total gross $186.2 million) and Rio (weekend gross $4.6 million, total gross $131.6 million) rounded out the top five.

Woody Allen’s latest, Midnight in Paris, was out in limited release; Allen’s homage to the City of Light earned $578,805 in its first weekend. Other new limited releases were 35 and Ticking ($29,500), Cost of a Soul ($29,000) and Louder Than a Bomb ($5,700).

Competing with Jack Sparrow for the title of Captain of the Box Office next weekend are Kung Fu Panda 2 and The Hangover Part II, with Tuesday, After Christmas, United Red Army, Puzzle, Tied to a Chair, The Wave and We Are the Night coming out in limited release. Also out in limited release is Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life, which should receive a bump after today’s announcement that it won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.