After the premiere, the film did not immediately hit theaters but waited until the weekend for its public release. Initially, Disney Studios planned for "Pirates of the Caribbean" to officially open in North America from Wednesday this week. However, after several screenings, due to the positive reception, adjustments were made to stick with the traditional weekend release.
"Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" would begin its pirate adventure on Thursday night in over 3,500 theaters with early screenings.
As an actor, Matthew had no say in this matter and simply cooperated with the production team and Disney Studios' release plan.
After the premiere at Disneyland, his focus shifted more towards the film's reception. For a movie that is neither an adaptation nor a sequel, its reception could directly affect the box office trend after the opening weekend.
In the three days following the premiere, various media outlets and critics released their reviews of "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl," similar to the screenings, the overall reception was quite positive.
Roger Ebert wrote in his column, "'Pirates of the Caribbean' is a family-friendly film that combines light-hearted humor with a touch of suspense. The most notable aspect is the film's computer-generated effects. Overall, 'Pirates of the Caribbean' doesn't escape the Hollywood cliché with its relatively simple plot, but this doesn't prevent it from being a recommendable film. Besides watching films that condemn society or reveal darkness, we can choose to enjoy a light-hearted movie, reminiscing about our childhood fantasies of pirates and satisfying our visual and aesthetic pleasures."
He specifically mentioned the two male leads, "Johnny Depp's portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow overturns all past images of pirates, bringing an incredibly fantastic performance; his counterpart, Matthew Horner as Will Turner, complements the pirate captain perfectly, creating a duo that sparks off each other!"
Mainstream media in North America generally praised the film.
"The film is suitable for all ages, but the length is a bit long." - USA Today
"An excellent pirate movie, extraordinary, fun, and spectacular." - Entertainment Weekly
"Johnny Depp and Matthew Horner bring the most entertaining and energetic performance to the screen this summer, making them the best reason to watch the movie." - The Washington Post
"The movie feels like an extended music video, with the two leads, Johnny Depp and Matthew Horner, one eccentric and the other masculine. If you're tired of summer movies, this one will definitely immerse you in Gore Verbinski's pure cinematic magic." - Los Angeles Times
"With impressive special effects and memorable performances by Johnny Depp and Matthew Horner, it's worth watching with the whole family." - Houston Chronicle
Matthew reviewed all major media comments, categorizing them based on impressions. There were hardly any reviews completely disparaging "Pirates of the Caribbean"; criticisms mainly focused on the film's length, slow pace, and the underdeveloped female lead, which were actual flaws.
Praises were focused on the excellent effects, the innovative take on the old pirate theme, director Gore Verbinski, and the two male leads.
Premiere magazine's review was quite representative.
"Pirates of the Caribbean" tells an interesting adventure story, arguably the best commercial blockbuster since the start of the summer. Director Gore Verbinski's use of many shots deserves applause. The duo, Johnny Depp and Matthew Horner, are definitely the most distinctive film characters this year, their roles creating an intensely exciting spark. No pirate movie has ever had such a contrasting yet complementary pair of characters."
These positive reviews, once spread by the media, could effectively trigger the audience's desire to buy tickets. After all, the prior hype and rumors had already left a certain impression on the potential audience. Good reviews undoubtedly made the impression even deeper.
Moreover, the inherent nature of "Pirates of the Caribbean" as a film for both adults and children also contributed to box office growth, as family audiences are always an important segment of the cinema market.
Furthermore, for a film like "Pirates of the Caribbean," filled with spectacular effects, theaters are the most suitable viewing venue.
Even in today and the next ten years, the effect of such films in theaters is something that popular home entertainment facilities cannot match.
Every film has its critiques.
For instance, criticisms of Matthew's performance being nothing but handsome, the film being all style and no substance, Jack Sparrow appearing gay, Will Turner looking like his lover, the female lead Elizabeth Swann being dispensable, etc.
Overall, "Pirates of the Caribbean" received few negative reviews. The film itself guaranteed quality, and Walt Disney's PR has always been excellent.
Having been in Hollywood for so long, Matthew knew well that a film's reputation is not naturally formed by the media, audience, and critics based on the film's quality, as the general audience might think. Hollywood's most common promotion method is word-of-mouth marketing.
In this bizarre industry, movies can be made, stars can be made, couples can be made, and so can reputations.
Of course, if a film is truly terrible, word-of-mouth marketing won't be very effective.
"Pirates of the Caribbean" stood out among this summer's Hollywood blockbusters.
The film's rating was finally unveiled on Rotten Tomatoes. Out of forty-six reviews collected by the website, the majority were positive, with a freshness rating of 82% and an average score of 7.5.
For a comedy film geared towards children, this is quite rare.
In the age of the internet, the speed of information flow is unprecedented. The premiere reception of a blockbuster can often spread across America in just two to three days.
Therefore, by Thursday night, when "Pirates of the Caribbean" had its early screenings, most theaters had a decent attendance rate. Matthew had gained some fans through "The Scorpion King," and Johnny Depp had his supporters over the years. Those who appreciated Keira Knightley, along with Disney's brand appeal and the fierce promotional marketing, essentially formed the main audience for the early screenings.
For a film that is neither an adaptation nor a sequel, the early screenings often rely on promotional marketing, brand influence, and the appeal of the cast and director.
"Pirates of the Caribbean" had its advantages and disadvantages in these aspects.
In the middle of the night, Matthew was awakened by the ringtone of a text message on his phone, which was under his pillow. It was a message from Helen Helman, containing just one number: 610!
He knew this represented $6.1 million, the early screening box office figure for "Pirates of the Caribbean."
Seeing this number, Matthew sat up, his drowsiness immediately replaced by excitement. This was much better than the midnight showing of his "The Scorpion King"!
He began to calculate in his mind. Based on the midnight showing's figure, the opening day box office of "Pirates of the Caribbean" could very likely approach $20 million, with a very high chance of surpassing $50 million for the opening weekend!
What could be the total box office in North America for "Pirates of the Caribbean"?
Matthew remembered the film was very successful and spawned a series, but as for the specific box office figures, how could someone who viewed watching Hollywood blockbuster movies as merely a pastime bother to look up such details?
In his opinion, if the film maintained a stable box office trend and received positive audience reception, it might even hit the $300 million mark in North America and $500 million globally.
If that happened, as one of the leading actors, climbing to the position of a second-tier star in Hollywood would definitely be within reach.
Hoping that the $6.1 million from the midnight showings would mark the beginning of a box office explosion for "Pirates of the Caribbean" in North America and globally, Matthew lay back down. However, he was now wide awake, devoid of any sleepiness.
He decided to call Johnny Depp, knowing that Hollywood stars are mostly nocturnal creatures, and Johnny Depp was a prime example.
As soon as Johnny Depp picked up, Matthew asked, "Depp, have you seen the early screening box office numbers?"
Johnny Depp seemed to be unaware of the news, "How much?"
Matthew raised his voice, "$6.1 million!"
"Oh..." Johnny Depp responded in a peculiar tone, then complained, "Matthew, calling someone in the middle of the night is very rude!"
Matthew ignored the comment, saying, "Do you even care about that?"
But as he finished speaking, he heard the voices of women, seemingly more than one, on the other end. He coughed softly and said, "Then I won't disturb you any longer, Depp. We'll talk more when we meet."
Johnny Depp immediately hung up.
Listening to the dial tone, Matthew shrugged and put the phone back, thinking Johnny Depp seemed quite calm. However, given his eccentric personality, it was hard to know what he was really thinking. Perhaps he was even throwing a pre-celebration party.
Afterward, Matthew closed his eyes but tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep, with visions of "Pirates of the Caribbean" smashing box office records and his own rise to fame across America dancing in his head.
"Maybe after this film, I could become even more famous than Depp is now?"
No sooner had this thought crossed his mind than Matthew suddenly remembered Helen Helman's warning: "Pirates of the Caribbean" wasn't without competitors. Twentieth Century Fox's "Sky Soldiers" was also releasing this weekend!
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