The Curse of the Box Office: Best Pirates of the Caribbean Movie Grossed the Least 

Summary:

• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl was the salvation of the pirate movies, reviving a genre that had been considered exhausted.
• The Curse of the Black Pearl, while considered by many to be the best installment in the franchise, grossed the least amount of money – $654 million – while other installments approached or exceeded $1 billion.
• The Curse of the Black Pearl was made to be as authentic as possible, with historically accurate costumes, some real 18th century weapons, and realistic makeup.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl release was accompanied by a powerful ad campaign, and many wondered how much the studio would lose on the doomed pirate movie.

By the time the film was made, the consensus in Hollywood was that the pirate movie genre was dead and impossible to rehabilitate.

The First Movie Grossed Less Than Any Other Installment

However, the movie surpassed all expectations, ultimately grossing $654 million against a budget of $140 million.

The Curse of the Black Pearl is an exemplary pirate film, but it still earned less than all future sequels – it was not far behind Dead Men Tell No Tales, which earned $794 million, while the other three installments either came close to or exceeded the billion-dollar mark.

Disney Executives Doubted the Success of The Black Pearl

Few people believed in the success of the movie, not only because of the main concept itself, but also because of other Disney projects based on attractions.

Based on the Country Bear Jamboree attraction, the children's musical The Country Bears was a resounding disaster when it debuted in July 2002, just as the Pirates crew was getting ready to film.

This put The Curse of the Black Pearl in jeopardy, as Disney executives questioned the wisdom of spending $140 million on a film that had a high probability of failing.

However, they were impressed with the design work that director Gore Verbinski had already done, and decided to risk it all and spend big to keep up with the competitors.

The Curse of the Black Pearl is Authentic

A big part of the reason why viewers love The Curse of the Black Pearl is that the movie just feels real. Verbinski deliberately left out pirates with eye patches and hooks instead of hands, as this cliché of pirate movies has long since become comical.

The costume designers were inspired by real-life outfits that pirates might wear, and the makeup artists were responsible for making the pirates look like they had never brushed their teeth or washed.

Johnny Depp had four crowns made of precious metals put on his teeth to emphasize his character's former high status in the pirate hierarchy. The weapons were partly fake and partly real – for example, Jack Sparrow's sword was a real 18th century weapon.

Twenty years later, the movie is still worth revisiting for its wild dynamiс, snappy lines and vivid imagery. A charming pirate in a red bandage will appear on the screen, make a sharp comment, spice it up with a good joke and give you his signature smile.

And after that, there will be no doubt that The Curse of the Black Pearl is the best movie in the whole franchise, savvy?