Disney's "Pirates" Rule the Global Box Office With Biggest Opening of All Time; Film's Unprecedented Booty of US$401 Million is a New Industry Record

Disney's "Pirates" Rule the Global Box Office With Biggest Opening of All Time; Film's Unprecedented Booty of US$401 Million is a New Industry Record

LONDON, May 29/PRNewswire/ --

- UK - "Pirates" Has the Biggest Opening Weekend of the Year With
GBP13.4M

- Bank Holiday Monday Takes the UK Box Office to a Staggering GBP17.3M

- "Pirates" is 4th Highest Grossing Film of 2007 After Only Five Days
on Release

- Domestic Tally of US$156 Million Anchors Memorial Day Weekend Record

- 6 Day International Tally of US$245 Million Sets New Record

Walt Disney Pictures' epic adventure "Pirates of the Caribbean: At
World's End," from Jerry Bruckheimer Films, landed in the global box office
record books and laid claim to the biggest opening in industry history, with
an unprecedented gross of US$401,000,000 in its first six days of release, it
was announced today by Mark Zoradi, president of Walt Disney Studios Motion
Picture Marketing and Distribution. This figure surpasses the previous record
of US$382 million set by the six day opening of "Spiderman 3" earlier this
year. "Pirates" continues to please audiences around the world with
exceptionally strong exit polls.

Domestically, "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" raised its
weekend estimate to US$156 million (including Thursday night showings). The
film set a new record for the four-day Memorial Day Weekend with its gross of
US$142 million (including Monday estimates), surpassing the previous high of
US$122.8 million set by "X-Men: The Last Stand" in 2006.

At the international box office, Disney's latest "Pirates" adventure
shattered records from Russia to Japan with its phenomenal US$245 million
cume through Monday (including Monday estimates). The film had
record-breaking openings (figures are through Sunday) in their respective
markets in the following countries: Korea (US$18.4 million), Japan (US$15.9
million; US Productions only), Russia (US$13.7 million), Spain (US$11.6
million), Taiwan (US$4.5 million) and Netherlands (US$2.8 million). It also
set new Walt Disney Studio records in the U.K. (US$26.6 million), France
(US$17.7 million), Germany (US$16.8 million) and Australia (US$9.9 million).
With its six-day tally of US$245 million, "Pirates of the Caribbean: At
World's End" has set a new international record that surpasses the previous
six-day high of US$232 million set by "Spiderman 3" a few weeks ago.
"Pirates" still has a few markets yet to open including China and India.

In the UK, further records were smashed as "Pirates" became the BIGGEST
opening weekend of the year with a weekend total of GBP13.4m (including
previews). The Bank Holiday Monday ensured a final booty for the long holiday
weekend of GBP17.3m. With schools on half term holiday all week long, the
final figure for the first week of release is set to be a record breaker.

"Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" is already the FOURTH highest
grossing film of 2007, and this result is achieved after only FIVE days on
release. Pirates3 is already GBP4m AHEAD of Pirates2 at the same stage of
release, and Pirates2 went on to become the biggest film of 2007 with a
record breaking GBP52.5m box office total.

Commenting on the announcement, Zoradi said, "We knew that audiences all
over the world were excited to see Johnny Depp and the rest of the fantastic
'Pirates' cast in this latest adventure, but this record-setting response at
the global box office has been nothing short of incredible. 'Pirates of the
Caribbean: At World's End' now has the distinction of having the biggest
opening in movie history, and we're extremely proud of that achievement.
Credit goes to the multitude of talent both in front of and behind the
camera. Jerry Bruckheimer, Gore Verbinski and their exceptional teams as well
as the creative minds of writers Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio have proven to
be the perfect recipe for success."

"Pirates" which rolled out on over 29,000 screens worldwide, showed on a
record number of digital screens both domestically (1,064) and
internationally (414) bringing the global total to 1,478. The film has
already become the Studio's 54th release to join the US$100 million club
internationally and the 53rd film to reach the US$100 million plateau
domestically - unprecedented in the industry.

"Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" picks up where the
record-breaking 2006 smash hit left off, with our heroes Will Turner (Orlando
Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) allied with Captain Barbossa
(Geoffrey Rush) in a desperate quest to free Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny
Depp) from his mind-bending trap in Davy Jones' locker. With the terrifying
ghost ship, The Flying Dutchman, and its commander Davy Jones under the
control of the East India Trading Company, there is havoc on the Seven Seas.
Navigating through treachery, betrayal and wild waters, the heroic trio must
forge their way to exotic Singapore and confront the cunning Pirate Sao Feng
(Chow Yun-Fat). Now headed beyond the very ends of the earth, each must
ultimately choose a side in a final titanic battle - as not only their lives
and fortunes, but the entire future of the freedom-loving Pirate way hangs in
the balance.

Source: Walt Disney Pictures

Further information: Walt Disney's BVI UK Press Office: Charlotte Tudor +44-(0)208-222-1221

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