(THR) The latest installment in the Johnny Depp-starring juggernaut has already earned more than the entire China runs of the last two 'Pirates' films.
Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales has thrown open its sails to strong winds in China, making off with $67.8 million in treasure during its first three days along the Middle Kingdom's shores.
The three-day total is already more than the entire local runs of the preceding two Pirates pictures.
And with China celebrating the annual Dragon Boat Festival — a major national holiday in the country — through Tuesday, the latest installment should hit $100 million this week.
Local word of mouth for the Johnny Depp-starring juggernaut has been effusive. The film currently has a score of 7.5/10 on reviews aggregator Douban, and 8.7/10 on top mobile ticketing platform Weying.
Pirates 5 was especially strong on Imax in China, earning $9 million from 401 screens from Friday to early Monday bookings.
In North America, the tentpole is easily winning the four-day holiday frame with an estimated $76.6 million from 4,276 theaters, while Paramount's Baywatch, starring Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron, was underperforming at a projected $22 million. Globally, Pirates 5 is looking at an estimated $285 million through Monday, if not more than $300 million.
Indian blockbuster Dangal, a family sports drama starring Aamir Khan, was left in Pirates' wake after leading the Chinese charts for the past two weekends. Already India's biggest film ever in China by far, the movie added $11 million in its third frame, taking its total to $137 million. Co-produced by Walt Disney Pictures and UTV Motion Pictures, the film marks a major success for the House of Mouse's local-language production efforts in India.
A wave of Chinese releases also launched Saturday, but none managed to break through. Skydance Media's space thriller Life, meanwhile, added just shy of $1 million, taking its 10-day China total to a respectable $18.6 million.
Warner Bros.' Wonder Woman is the next major U.S. tentpole to hit China, opening day-and-date with North America on Friday.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter by Patrick Brzeski