PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN - PIRATES FAILS TO CLAIM BOX OFFICE TREASURE, COMES IN FIFTH

New PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN sequel, AT WORLD'S END, appears to have fallen short of reclaiming its place in the U.S. box office record books - but JOHNNY DEPP and his crew are still celebrating. The second sequel has scored an estimated $112.5 million (GBP56.25 million) in its opening weekend, although official figures won't be released until after Memorial Day (28May07). The figure, though impressive, is well below last summer's (06) $135.6 million (GBP67.8 million) opening weekend take for Pirates sequel Dead Man's Chest. And it's way short of Spider-Man 3's record-breaking $151.1 million (GBP75.5 million) opening weekend earlier this month (May07). But the Pirates won't exactly be walking the plank - At World'sEnd scored the fifth-biggest three-day opening ever. The film has also made an additional $205.5 million (GBP102.75 million) internationally since it hit cinemas worldwide on Wednesday (23May07). The sequel easily tops the new U.S. box office chart, which is led by the third films in three franchises. Shrek The Third comes in second with an impressive $51 million (GBP25.5 million) second-weekend take, while Spider-Man 3 holds on to third place with $13.7 million (GBP6.85 million). The third Spider-Man film has now notched up $303.3 million (GBP151.65) in America alone - in just a month. The movie's worldwide figure has already topped $800 million (GBP400 million).