New at BOP: Review: Matrix Resurrections Movie Review: Moonfall Movie Reviews: Scream The #1 Movie in America November Forecast The Many Saints of Newark October Forecast New Trivia Question All site updates Share & Save   Tweet Print this column

Shalimar Sahota: They could rush in and release one every year, or every other year, but that all depends on if they can lower the budgets and still end up hitting huge numbers. However, it's tricky to judge how long to wait, especially when thinking about Scream 4 and Indiana Jones 4, though I think they got the timing just right with On Stranger Tides. By the time a fifth one comes around, Depp would probably be in his 50s (and Rush approaching 70). Unless they've got a fantastic idea that betters the first film's cursed pirates idea, (The Death of Jack Sparrow? Oh, wait they already did that), then they should just leave it.

David Mumpower: I completely agree with Samuel’s thought that by rushing to gain revenue right now, Disney has jeopardized the franchise. The fallout from that is not something we can track until we have the answer to the question posed, meaning that we will know how much damage has been done when we see the opening weekend numbers for Sail Five, my suggested title for the next Pirates release. The problem Disney has here is the same one I referenced in the second topic. Even a worst case scenario for this franchise is still $600 million.

Whenever Disney determines how they want to outlay their capital for a given year, their choices are these. They can spend $200 million producing another Prince of Persia: Sands of Time or $160 million for The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and hope that their attempt will create a new franchise. Or they can play it safe by giving that money to Johnny Depp, guaranteeing a reward for their investment. The two summer action pictures they produced last year came with a price tag of $360 million to create, not including negative cost expenses. Those two titles attained global revenue of $550 million, only 28% of which came from domestic box office. The worst performing Pirates film to date had a global take of $653 million. If you are sitting in a room watching a Power Point presentation and you see these numbers, the Pirates side of the argument looks like the clear victor. What they have to do in the short term is avoid the temptation to release another Pirates movie prior to 2015. One blatant cash grab is tolerable, even understandable. More than one is Shrek-y.

Jason Lee: I think that if you're Disney, you HAVE to do another Pirates movie. Other than the annual Pixar movie, here are only so many family-friendly, Disney-brand-appropriate candidates for summer blockbuster-status. Given the franchise's continuing appeal to kids, families, adult moviegoers (somewhat) and its direct tie to the Disney park business, I think Disney has to be inclined to follow the American Idol route: keep it going, revamping as necessary, so long as it's profitable.

Reagen Sulewski: It depends on Johnny Depp, doanit? Pirates of the Caribbean is really Pirates of the Captain Jack Sparrow, and he's (smartly) said he wants to let the franchise breathe a bit. Wait until you have an idea worthy of doing, drive a dump truck of money up to Depp's house, and get it out for around 2014 or so.

Continued:       1       2       3       4