“It’s a pirate film and they will always fail”: Johnny Depp’s Pirates of the Caribbean Co-star Was Horribly Wrong About His $654 Million Worth Movie
When Keira Knightley was cast as Elizabeth Swann in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, she didn’t foresee the wild success that would follow. In a recent interview, director Richard Curtis revealed that Knightley believed the pirate swashbuckler was destined to fail. Given the genre’s decline in popularity at the time, her concerns were certainly justified. But Pirates would ultimately defy all expectations, launching an epic blockbuster franchise and catapulting Knightley to global stardom.
How Keira Knightley Was So Wrong About Pirates of the Caribbean?
The series has since grossed over $4.5 billion worldwide across five films. And while Keira Knightley felt certain it would flop, Pirates of the Caribbean would go on to become one of the most lucrative properties in Hollywood history, keeping the pirate flag flying high to this very day.
According to Digital Fix, in a recent interview, Love Actually director Richard Curtis revealed Keira Knightley didn’t have much faith in Pirates of the Caribbean succeeding before she starred as Elizabeth Swann.
“I remember sitting down with Keira while we were shooting and saying, ‘What are you doing next?’ And she said, ‘I don’t think it’s going to work. It’s a pirate film, and they always fail,'” Curtis recalled.
Given the genre’s decline, Knightley’s concerns were understandable. But the swashbuckling franchise would defy expectations and make her an international star alongside Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom.
When Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl sailed into theaters in 2003, it raked in $305 million domestically and $348 million internationally for a mighty $654 million global tally – over 4 times its $140 million budget.
As per The Numbers, the film stunned Hollywood by launching a hugely successful series spanning five films so far. Pirates have grossed over $4.5 billion total worldwide, with Dead Man’s Chest and At World’s End both surpassing $1 billion.
Also Read: Johnny Depp’s Pirates of the Caribbean Was Almost Scrapped Because of 1 Flop Disney Movie
Why This Pirate Ship Keeps Sailing?
Though Knightley felt “pirate films always fail,” the first Pirates movie connected by combining supernatural thrills with Depp’s eccentric take on Captain Jack Sparrow. Its popularity led to continued demand for more seafaring adventures.
Dead Man’s Chest capitalized on goodwill from the first film, then At World’s End wrapped up the original trilogy on a grand scale. On Stranger Tides brought in Penelope Cruz to freshen up the story. And Dead Men Tell No Tales saw Depp return after a 5-year break.
Also Read: Brad Pitt Seemingly Has Learnt One Lesson From Johnny Depp’s Legal Battle With Amber Heard
While plots and characters vary, the consistent draw is escapist fun in a colorful pirate world. Though Depp won’t be back as Jack Sparrow, Pirates 6 is reportedly in development at Disney. After Depp’s decline and legal troubles, the studio likely aims to revitalize the series by focusing on new swashbuckling stars.
But for a property once deemed doomed to fail, Pirates has already far surpassed expectations. Thanks to its unpredictable success, we may continue getting pirate tales for years to come.
