Pirates of the Caribbean Hope to Find Treasure at the Box Office

Pirates of the Caribbean Hope to Find Treasure at the Box Office

Betting Trends at Sportsbook.com Show Pirates beating Superman Returns

LOS ANGELES, CA, June 29 /PRNewswire/ -- On July 7, Johnny Depp will reprise his Academy Award(R) nominated role as Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. The highly anticipated follow-up to Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is expected to draw large crowds across the U.S. during its opening weekend. Sportsbook.com, the world's largest online sportsbook and casino, has posted odds on the film's opening weekend U.S. gross suggesting the sequel will surpass the success of the first Pirates.

The first Pirates movie grossed more than $305 million in the U.S. and today, industry experts are predicting even higher box office returns for the sequel. Casting Johnny Depp in the lead role certainly helps. Since the start of his film career in the early 1980s, Depp's movies have grossed over $2.5 billion worldwide. The return of heartthrobs Orlando Bloom and Kiera Knightley alongside Depp adds to the star power of Pirates 2. The film's director is Gore Verbinski, whose directing credits include the first Pirates of the Caribbean and The Ring.

According to the latest betting trends from Sportsbook.com, bettors are expecting Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest to eclipse Superman Returns, the season's first major release, at the box office. More than 97% of bets have been wagered on Pirates 2 to gross more than $90 million during its opening weekend, compared to just over 23% of bets wagered on Superman Returns, opening today, to earn more than $89.5 million during its opening weekend.

Sportsbook.com continues to offer bettors the exciting new option of wagering on the opening weekend gross of major film releases throughout the year along with exclusive industry background information to help bettors make their choice.

"Box office battles are a blast to watch." said Alex Czajkowski, Marketing Director, Sportsbook.com. "Everybody bets and movie buffs love to wager on the fortunes of Hollywood's self-proclaimed blockbusters. It will be fun to see whether Pirates 2 can beat the Man of Steel."

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

- US Opening Weekend Gross 07/07/06 - 07/09/06: US$ in Millions
- Over 96.5 (-170)
- Under 96.5 (+130)

Betting Trends
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US Opening Weekend Gross - US$ in Millions

Superman Returns - $89.5 million
--------------------------------
Over 23.19%
Under 76.81%

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest - $90.0 million
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Over 97.66%
Under 2.32%

About Sportsbook.com:

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Source: Sportsbook.com

CONTACT: Christopher Tidey, Sportsbook.com,
sportsbook@mediaprofile.com, 1-866-505-2900 or (604) 609-6153

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