'Pirates' Passes $500M Mark Worldwide

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The third installment of the ``Pirates of the Caribbean'' films passed the $500 million mark worldwide in 20 days, including a record opening in China for the film's distributor, The Walt Disney Co.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End,'' starring Johnny Depp, opened on 17,500 screens internationally around the same time as its domestic debut and earned $506 million as of Wednesday, the studio said Wednesday.

The film also took in $1.3 million on its opening day in China on Tuesday, the studio said.

That's a record for the studio, which played the film at 506 locations across the country - its widest release in China ever.

Domestically, the film has taken in $253 million as of Sunday after three weeks in theaters.

The Chinese version of ``Pirates'' was slightly shorter than the original after censors insisted bits of the film be cut.

Disney excised some of the scenes featuring Chow Yun-Fat as Chinese pirate Captain Sao Feng after the Chinese objected due to ``cultural sensitivities,'' Disney said.

``They weren't quite ecstatic with how the Chinese pirate was portrayed,'' Anthony Marcoly, distribution chief at Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Distribution International, said. ``He's still prevalent throughout the movie, though.'

Source :The Associated Press

Pirates of the Caribbean: At the World's End

Cast: Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley;
Director: Gore Verbinski
Ratings: ** and 1/2

There are spectacular scenes and then there are moments of utter mayhem in part three of the sea adventure titled "Pirates of the Caribbean: At the World's End".

Just as you begin to comprehend what just happened on the screen, a volley of events get thrown at you until you give up and start looking at your watch for the minutes to tick by.

"Pirates of the Caribbean: At the World's End", is simply not half as interesting or gripping as the first of the three in the series. It's only saving grace is the feisty captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) whose antics tickles your senses and makes you laugh amidst all the confusion.

The film starts with Jack being imprisoned in Davy Jones locker and Captain Barbossa (Geoffery Rush) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) seeking the help of Singaporean pirate lord captain Sao Feng (Yun-Fat).

Feng, however, has his suspicions because he had just caught Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) trying to steal a precious map.

They all try to outdo each other with their tricks, but their aim remains the same - a search for Jack Sparrow. With him they can attend the gathering of the Nine Lords of the Brethern to determine the future of piracy in the Caribbean.

And hence, a good 30 minutes after the film had begun, enters Jack Sparrow. But he's not alone. Stranded in an island, Sparrow has a multiple number of clones for his company, each trying to show of what he can do.

One of the most brilliant scenes in the movie is that of a thousand crabs clambering under Sparrow's trusty vessel, the Black Pearl, and drawing it to the nearest body of water from the desert island where it was stranded.

The story moves on, almost mechanically, running through the plots and sub-plots, even turning the ship upside down and then back to finally solving all the mysteries. But the charm was long lost.

It has failed to live up to its pre-release hype. The film can be watched for Johnny Depp's antics, which is as good as ever.