'Pirates of the Caribbean' Salts Away $321.7M Over 17 Days

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'Pirates' Salts Away $321.7M Over 17 Days
By DAVID GERMAIN, AP Movie Writer
Posted July 23, 2006

LOS ANGELES - Johnny Depp and his pirate friends are keeping all the box-office treasure for themselves. Depp's "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" remained the top movie for the third straight weekend, hauling in $35 million and lifting its total to $321.7 million after just 17 days, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The Disney sequel passed the $305 million domestic total that its predecessor, 2003's "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl," rang up during its entire six-month run.

"Dead Man's Chest" easily beat back a rush of new movies, which were led by Sony's family film "Monster House," a spooky animated tale that debuted at No. 2 with $23 million. The movie follows the adventures of a group of children at a mysterious neighbor's scary home.

Opening in third was M. Night Shyamalan's "Lady in the Water," an adult fairy tale from Warner Bros. that took in $18.2 million. Starring Paul Giamatti as an apartment manager who discovers a water nymph (Bryce Dallas Howard) living beneath his complex's swimming pool, the movie was the weakest debut for writer-director Shyamalan in a string of wide releases since 1999 that included the blockbusters "The Sixth Sense" and "Signs."

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Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. Final figures will be released Monday (07/24/06).

1. "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," $35 million.

2. "Monster House," $23 million.

3. "Lady in the Water," $18.2 million.

4. "You, Me and Dupree," $12.8 million.

5. "Little Man," $11 million.

6. "Clerks II," $9.6 million.

7. "My Super Ex-Girlfriend," $8.7 million.

8. "Superman Returns," $7.46 million.

9. "The Devil Wears Prada," $7.43 million.

10. "Cars," $4.9 million.

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