DISNEY - HO HUM, HO HUM. PIRATES, NOT FOR WALL ST.

Wall Street reacted unenthusiastically Monday to reports that Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest had earned $135.6 million, $3.6 million more than earlier estimates, setting a slew of box-office records in the process. Disney stock barely moved, closing 9 cents higher at $29.92. (It rose at additional 7 cents by mid-day trading today). Analysts indicated that the market had already anticipated the successful debut of the movie and that the expectations had been reflected in the stock price. Bernstein Research analyst Michael Nathanson noted that Disney's overall revenue might fall short of his original estimate of $34.7 billion because the strong showing for Pirates would likely be offset by the weaker-than-expected showing for Cars.

The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date):
1. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Disney, $135,634,554, (New); 2. Superman Returns, Warner Bros. $21,815,243, 2 Wks. ($141,642,667); 3. The Devil Wears Prada, 20th Century Fox, $15,014,778, 2 Wks. ($63,110,544); 4. Click, Sony, $11,921,513, 3 Wks. ($105,842,811); 5. Cars, Disney, $10,734,082, 5 Wks. ($205,098,484); 6. Nacho Libre, Paramount, $3,339,828, 4 Wks. ($73,814,240); 7. The Lake House, Warner Bros. $2,854,457, 4 Wks. ($45,630,219); 8. The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Universal, $2,549,855, 4 Wks. ($57,434,625); 9. Waist Deep, Focus Features, $1,901,151, 3 Wks. ($19,207,640); 10. The Break-Up, Universal, $1,621,345, 6 Wks, ($114,278,860).

11/07/2006