'On Stranger Tides' sails to first

By Sarah Sluis

One sign of an incredibly successful franchise may be when the $90 million debut of its latest installment�the highest recorded so far in 2011�is considered unexceptional. That's the fate of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. The first movie opened to $46 million, the second to $135 million, and the third to $115 million, and the fourth movie's $90 million haul is a sign that Captain Jack Sparrow no longer holds quite the same allure for American audiences. The same cannot be said across the high seas, where the movie has performed exceptionally well. With $256 million already in the bank overseas, Pirates is the kind of broad action movie that draws foreign moviegoers to the box office.

In second place, Bridesmaids held exceptionally well, dipping just 19% to $21 million. Even last year's megahit comedy The Hangover fell 27% in its opening weekend. If the female-driven comedy continues to hold its audience, it will perform on par with a movie that opened to $40 million, or even higher�this from a comedy that debuted with $26 million. In a marketplace so driven by first-week gross, Bridesmaids could easily end up topping $100 million, but it will take time and continued positive word-of-mouth.

Elsewhere in the top ten, horror mash-up Priest plummeted 70% to $4.6 million. Most of the other titles in the top ten, including Thor, Fast Five, and Jumping the Broom, averaged drops around 50%, making Bridesmaids' performance even more impressive.

Woody Allen should be celebrating, since Midnight in Paris averaged an incredible $96,500 in each of its six theatres, enough to launch the City of Light-set film to twelfth place. Since Allen can be a spotty filmmaker, fans responded to critics' positive reviews, coming out of the woodwork to catch one of his better films.

This Friday, The Hangover Part II will hit theatres. The comedy sequel has high levels of anticipation and awareness, so it will likely see blockbuster results. For a younger crowd, animated Kung Fu Panda 2 will take advantage of the three-day weekend, and Palme d'Or-winning The Tree of Life will grab arthouse audiences.

'Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides' maps out a first-place weekend

By Sarah Sluis

It's been eight years since Johnny Depp first donned black eyeliner in his memorable portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow. Now, the fourth film in the series, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, will splash into 4,155 theatres. 65% of the theatres will show the film in 3D, along with a record-breaking 257 IMAX screens. The past two Pirates movies have debuted well over $100 million, but a softer $90-100 million opening is expected for the latest installment, which "confirms that the series' charm has worn off," according to FJI critic Ethan Alter. The film's action sequences lack that trademark mix of "combination of thrills and laughs" that initially won over audiences," he says, and in general the movie is "plodding and heavy-handed when it should be breezy and light."

Bridesmaids (2,937 theatres) has been ahead of Thor (3,924 theatres) since Monday, due to its strong word-of-mouth endorsements. On Monday, the female-driven comedy earned just 5% more than Thor, but by Wednesday Bridesmaids pulled in 28% more than the comic book film. Based on these results, Bridesmaids should be a shoo-in for second place.

The specialty film to watch this week is Midnight in Paris (6 theatres). Woody Allen's "Parisian fantasia" has won over critics, which have given the time-travel movie a 90% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Some have called it his best film in years. Owen Wilson stars as a writer entranced by the city of light, and the film is studded with well-known faces like Rachel McAdams, Kathy Bates, French First Lady Carla Bruni, Marion Cotillard, and Michael Sheen. These reviews should give the movie a lifetime gross closer to Vicky Cristina Barcelona's $23.2 million than You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger's $3.2 million.

On Monday, we'll see if the performance of Pirates ensures a fifth installment, and if Bridesmaids maintains its audience in its second outing.