Pirates of the Caribbean Biggest Box Office Flop Was In Fact Everybody's Favorite Movie
This is a case where the box office is not the measure of the audience's love.
In the early 2000s, Walt Disney Pictures decided to take things to the next level. Viewers were expecting more than just a harmless family movie, they were expecting fantastic blockbusters as the victorious procession of Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings was in full swing.
The producers were looking for an original story that would appeal to both children and adults. An unexpected source of inspiration was a real-life Disneyland attraction called Pirates of the Caribbean.
So in 2003, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl was released.
The script of the first – and, according to critics and many fans, the best – movie of the series was built according to the classic schemes: bride kidnapping, forced cooperation of antagonists, travel and return.
But it was served cheerfully, dynamically and, above all, spectacularly. Ghosts, magical caves with treasures, and black waves of storms fascinated even those who were not interested in pirates' adventures.
The costumes were exquisite, the characters, including the negative ones, were above charming.
Although the movie grossed a solid $654 million at the time, it is the least commercially successful installment in the franchise – all of the movies (except the last one) have either approached or crossed the $1 billion mark.
For example, the highest-grossing movie in the franchise, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, grossed $1.066 billion, nearly double the box office of the first film.
The first movie became one of the best pirate movies in world cinema. The movie was nominated for five Oscars, but did not win a single statuette because the 2003 Oscar was a triumph for The Lord of the Rings.
Originally, there were no plans for a sequel. But as soon as it became clear how successful Pirates was, the writers immediately came up with two more movies, which were released in 2006 and 2007.
And then two more, released in 2011 and 2017. As is often the case, none of the next installments managed to surpass the first movie in terms of audience love.