Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
A bearded man with long hair stands on a beach. He wears a red bandana, a dark blue vest with a white shirt underneath, and black pants. Attached to his belt are two guns and a scarf. A ship with flaming sails is approaching from the sea. In the background, three mermaids are sitting on a rock. The names of the main actors are seen atop the poster, and the film credits are at the bottom. Promotional poster
Directed by	Rob Marshall
Screenplay by	Terry Rossio Ted Elliott
Produced by	Jerry Bruckheimer
Starring	Johnny Depp Penélope Cruz Geoffrey Rush Ian McShane Kevin McNally
Cinematography	Dariusz Wolski
Edited by	Michael Kahn
Music by	Hans Zimmer Rodrigo y Gabriela
Production company	Jerry Bruckheimer Films
Distributed by	Walt Disney Pictures
Release dates	May 18, 2011 (2011-05-18) (United Kingdom) May 20, 2011 (2011-05-20) (United States/Canada)
Running time	136 minutes
Countries	Template:Film UK Template:Film US
Language	English
Budget	$150–250 million
Box office	$1,043,871,802

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is a 2011 adventure fantasy film and the fourth installment in the Pirates of the Caribbean series. Gore Verbinski, who had directed the three previous films, was replaced by Rob Marshall, while Jerry Bruckheimer again served as producer.

In the film, which draws inspiration from the novel On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers, Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) is joined by Angelica (Penélope Cruz) in his search for the Fountain of Youth, confronting the infamous pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane). The film was distributed by Walt Disney Pictures, and had its theatrical debut in release dates falling within May 18 and May 20, 2011. The release was presented in Disney Digital 3-D and IMAX 3D, as well as in traditional two-dimensional and IMAX formats.

Writers Terry Rossio and Ted Elliott first learned of Powers' novel during the back-to-back production of Dead Man's Chest and At World's End, and considered it a good starting point for a new movie in the series. Pre-production started after the end of the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, with Johnny Depp collaborating with the writers on the story design. Principal photography rolled for 106 days between June and November 2010, with locations in Hawaii, the United Kingdom, Puerto Rico, and California. Filming employed 3D cameras similar to those used in the production of the 2009 film Avatar, and ten companies were involved with the film's visual effects.

On Stranger Tides broke many box office records upon release, and it stands as the 8th highest-grossing film of all time worldwide when not adjusting for inflation. Critical reviews were negative, the film receiving criticism over the script-writing, excessiveness, and lack of originality, but positive mentions were given for the acting, directing, and visuals.

Plot

After a failed attempt to rescue his first mate, Joshamee Gibbs (Kevin McNally) in London, Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) is brought before King George II (Richard Griffiths), who wants Jack to guide an expedition to the Fountain of Youth before the Spanish locate it. Heading the expedition is Jack's old nemesis, Captain Hector Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), now a privateer in service to the Royal Navy after losing his leg and ship, the Black Pearl.

Jack escapes, but his father, Captain Teague (Keith Richards), finds him and warns Jack about the Fountain's tests. He also reveals that someone is impersonating Jack. The impostor is Angelica (Penélope Cruz), Jack's former lover and daughter of the ruthless pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane), who practices voodoo magic and, armed with a magical sword, possesses supernatural powers.

Jack is taken aboard Blackbeard's ship, the Queen Anne's Revenge, and forced to lead the way to the Fountain and find two silver chalices that once belonged to Juan Ponce de León, both believed to be aboard his lost ship. The Fountain's water must be drunk simultaneously from the two chalices. The person drinking from the chalice containing a mermaid's tear has their life extended, while the other person dies, their life drained from their body and their remaining years 'donated' to the other. Meanwhile, Gibbs, having memorized and destroyed Jack's map, barters with Barbossa to guide him to the Fountain.

Blackbeard seeks the Fountain's power to circumvent his predestined fatal encounter with "a one-legged man," and sets a course for Whitecap Bay. There they are attacked by a vicious horde of mermaids, but Blackbeard captures one (Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey). Philip Swift (Sam Claflin), a captive missionary, falls in love with the mermaid and names her Syrena. Blackbeard then sends Jack to retrieve the chalices from de León's ship.

When Jack finds the grounded, decaying vessel, Barbossa is waiting inside and the Spanish are in possession of the chalices. However, Barbossa only seeks revenge against Blackbeard for capturing the Black Pearl, which forced Barbossa to amputate his own leg to escape. He and Jack join forces to defeat Blackbeard, then head to the nearby Spanish camp to steal the chalices. Meanwhile, Syrena, reciprocating Philip's love, is tricked into shedding a tear which Blackbeard collects, leaving her to die. Philip is forced to go with him. Jack returns with the chalices and Gibbs, with whom he had reunited while assisting Barbossa. Jack and Blackbeard bargain for Jack's confiscated magical compass and Gibbs' release. In return, Jack vows to give Blackbeard the chalices and lead him to the Fountain; Blackbeard agrees and Gibbs departs with the compass.

At the Fountain, Blackbeard and his crew are attacked by Barbossa, and then by the Spanish, there to destroy the Fountain, their king believing its power is an abomination against God. A battle ensues and Barbossa stabs Blackbeard with a poison-laced sword. Angelica accidentally cuts herself while removing it from Blackbeard. Barbossa claims the sword and assumes command, leaving with Blackbeard's crew. Meanwhile, Philip, though mortally wounded, escapes and returns to free Syrena. After finding the chalices that the Spaniard had tossed into deep water, Syrena gives them to Jack, then retrieves the dying Philip and takes him underwater.

With Blackbeard and Angelica wounded, Blackbeard asks his daughter to sacrifice herself. Angelica agrees but Jack tricks Blackbeard into drinking the wrong chalice and giving Angelica the tear, which saves Angelica and kills Blackbeard. Although Jack and Angelica admit their love for each other, Jack strands Angelica on an island, knowing that she may want to avenge her father's death. Barbossa, who now controls the Queen Anne's Revenge, quits his job as privateer and reverts to piracy. Jack finds Gibbs, who has used the compass to locate all ships Blackbeard had shrunken in bottles, including the Black Pearl. The two head off hoping to bring the Black Pearl to its original size.

In a post-credits scene, Angelica, still on the island, finds Blackbeard's voodoo doll of Jack, which has washed ashore.

Cast

Main article: List of Pirates of the Caribbean characters

• Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow
• Penélope Cruz as Angelica
• Geoffrey Rush as Captain Hector Barbossa
• Ian McShane as Edward "Blackbeard" Teach
• Kevin McNally as Joshamee Gibbs
• Sam Claflin as Philip Swift
• Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey as Syrena
• Greg Ellis as Lt. Cmdr. Theodore Groves
• Damian O'Hare as Lieutenant Gillette
• Stephen Graham as Scrum
• Óscar Jaenada as The Spaniard, King Ferdinand's most trusted agent
• Gemma Ward as Tamara, an antagonistic mermaid
• Richard Griffiths as King George II of Great Britain
• Keith Richards as Captain Teague
• Judi Dench as a noblewoman
• Robbie Kay as the Cabin boy
• Derek Mears as the Master-at-Arms
• Deobia Oparei as the Gunner
• Danny Le Boyer as Yeoman
• Ian Mercer as the Quartermaster
• Sebastian Armesto as King Ferdinand of the Spanish Empire
• Anton Lesser as Lord John Carteret
• Roger Allam as Henry Pelham, Prime Minister of Great Britain
• Paul Bazely as Salaman, an Indian crew member of the Queen Anne's Revenge

Production

Development

Shortly before the premiere of At World's End, Jerry Bruckheimer stated it was the end of the trilogy, but the idea of a spin-off was still possible. After the film's successful opening weekend, Dick Cook, former Chairman of the Walt Disney Studios, said he was interested in a fourth installment. Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio had started working on a script in 2007, but they were interrupted by the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, and only resumed in mid-2008. On September 25, 2008, during a Disney event at the Kodak Theater, Cook and Johnny Depp, in full Captain Jack Sparrow costume, announced that a fourth Pirates movie was in development.

In June 2009 Bruckheimer indicated Disney would prefer the fourth installment of Pirates to be released before The Lone Ranger film, which he, Johnny Depp, Ted Elliott, and Terry Rossio had been working on for release on May 20, 2011. He hoped Gore Verbinski would return to direct the fourth film, as his BioShock film adaptation had been put on hold. As Verbinski was unavailable, Bruckheimer suggested Rob Marshall, who he considered a "premiere filmmaker", stating that "Every film [Marshall] made I thought was unique and different." On July 21, 2009, Marshall accepted the job, because of the " whole new story line and set of characters. It felt new, and that was important to me." Marshall said the film provided him a long-awaited opportunity to work with Depp, and that his directing was helped by past experience as a choreographer – "the action sequences felt like big production numbers." On September 11, 2009, at Disney's D23 convention, the title was announced as Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

Cook resigned in September 2009 after working for Disney for over 38 years. Depp's faith in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides was somewhat shaken after the resignation, with Depp explaining that "There's a fissure, a crack in my enthusiasm at the moment. It was all born in that office". Depp also explained Cook was one of the few who accepted his portrayal of Jack Sparrow: "When things went a little sideways on the first Pirates movie and others at the studio were less than enthusiastic about my interpretation of the character, Dick was there from the first moment. He trusted me".

Writing

During production of Dead Man's Chest and At World's End, writers Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio discovered Tim Powers' 1987 novel On Stranger Tides, which they considered a good foundation on which to base "a new chapter" in the Pirates series. Disney bought the rights to the novel in April 2007. Rossio stated that he and Elliot had considered using Blackbeard and the Fountain of Youth in the story before reading the book, "but whenever you say those words, Powers' novel comes to mind. There was no way we could work in that field without going into territory Tim had explored." However, they denied that it would be a straight version of the novel: "Blackbeard came from the book, and in the book there is a daughter character, too. But Jack Sparrow is not in the book, nor is Barbossa. So I wouldn't call this an adaptation." Rossio declared the script was written to be a standalone film, "kind of a James Bond sort of thing", instead of the "designed to be a trilogy" structure of the previous installments. They hoped to "design a story that would support new characters," as characters such as Will Turner would not return. Bruckheimer added that there was a decision to "streamline the story a little bit, make it a little simpler and not have as many characters to follow", as the number of characters and subplots in At World's End caused the film to have an unwieldy length. The duo decided to employ another sea myth alluded in the previous episodes: mermaids, which are briefly referenced in the book. The mermaids' role expanded in the script, which included a vast attack sequence.

Depp was deeply involved with the story design, frequently meeting the writers to show what he was interested in doing, and in the words of Rossio, being "involved in coming up with story lines, connecting characters, creating moments that we would then fashion, shape and then go back." Among Depp's suggestions were turning Phillip into a missionary, and having a Spanish contingent following the protagonists. Afterwards, Rob Marshall and executive producer John DeLuca met Rossio and Elliot, and did alterations of their own, including building the female lead.

Casting

Depp signed on to return as Captain Jack Sparrow in September 2008, saying that he would come back if the script was good. Almost a year later, Disney announced that Depp would be paid $55.5 million for his role, realising that without him the franchise would be "dead and buried." Geoffrey Rush expressed interest in returning to his role as Barbossa, and Bruckheimer later confirmed his presence. Three other actors from the previous films returned, Kevin McNally as Joshamee Gibbs, Greg Ellis as Lt. Theodore Groves, and Damian O'Hare as Lt. Gilette. Keith Richards also had a cameo, reprising his role as Captain Teague from At World's End; he and Depp tried to persuade Mick Jagger to audition for the part of a pirate elder. Previous cast members Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley stated that they would not reprise their roles, as they wanted to be involved in different films. They both thought the storyline involving their characters had gone as far as it could. On February 5, 2010, Mackenzie Crook also announced he would not be reprising his role of Ragetti, stating, "They haven't asked me. But actually I don't mind that at all. I'm a fan of the first one especially and I think the trilogy we've made is great. I'd almost like them to leave it there."

New cast members include Ian McShane, who plays the notorious pirate and primary antagonist of the film, Blackbeard, and Penélope Cruz, who plays Angelica, Jack Sparrow's love interest. Marshall said Cruz was the only actress considered for the role, saying she fit the description as "an actress who could not only go toe to toe with Johnny and match him, but also needed to be all the things that Jack Sparrow is in a way. She needed to be funny and clever and smart and crafty and beautiful." Depp recommended Stephen Graham, who worked with him in Public Enemies, to play Scrum, a Machiavellian pirate and sidekick to Jack Sparrow. Sam Claflin was chosen to play the missionary Philip, and British actor Paul Bazely also joined the cast.

Casting for mermaids required the actresses to have natural breasts—no implants. As Bruckheimer explained to EW, "I don’t think they had breast augmentation in the 1700s, [...] So it’s natural for casting people to say, ‘We want real people.'" Spanish-French actress Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey was selected to play Syrena, and Australian supermodel Gemma Ward was chosen to play Tamara. Spanish news website El Pais reported that the film had four Spanish actors: Cruz, Bergès-Frisbey, Óscar Jaenada, and Juan Carlos Vellido.

Filming

Principal photography began on June 14, 2010, in Hawaii. Filming was moved to California in August 2010, primarily at the Long Beach shore and a recreation of Whitecap Bay done in the Universal Studios backlot. After a brief shoot at Palomino Island in Puerto Rico, production moved to the United Kingdom in September, where principal photography wrapped on November 18 after 106 days of shooting. Locations included Pinewood Studios in London, and Old Royal Naval College at Greenwich. The producers also considered using New Orleans as a location. In October, security was breached at the UK site when a celebrity impersonator gained access to filming at the Old Royal Naval College by dressing up as Captain Jack.

After the joint production of Dead Man's Chest and At World's End cost over $300 million, Disney decided to give a lower budget to the fourth installment. Many costs had to be cut, including moving primary production to Hawaii and London, where tax credits are more favorable, and having a shorter shooting schedule and fewer scenes featuring special effects compared to At World's End. The tighter schedule—according to Bruckheimer, "We had a 22-week post, and for a picture like this, with almost 1,200 visual effects shots, it's usually 40 weeks"—meant that Marshall supervised editing of sequences during filming.

Jerry Bruckheimer said the decision to film in 3D was made due to its being "immersive filmmaking; I think it makes you part of the actual filming because you’re part of the screen." Bruckheimer described it as the first major "exterior movie" to be shot in 3D, as Avatar was mostly done in sound stages. At first Marshall was not much interested in 3D, but the director eventually considered it a film that could benefit from the format. "You are on an adventure and with the 3D experience you are inside that adventure." While the original plan was to add 3D effects during post-production, the decision was made to film with 3D cameras. Only one sequence was shot conventionally and needed a 3D conversion. The cameras were improved versions of the ones James Cameron developed for Avatar, which were made more compact for extra mobility. This meant the cameras could be brought into locations such as the Hawaiian jungle.

Effects

On Stranger Tides employed 1,112 shots of computer-generated imagery, which were done by ten visual effects companies. Cinesite visual effects supervisor Simon Stanley-Clamp claimed that the most difficult part was doing the effects in 3D: "Rotoscoping is tricky. Cleaning up plates is double the work, and tracking has to be spot on." The lead companies, with over 300 effects each, were Industrial Light & Magic—responsible for, among others, the mermaids and most water effects—and Moving Picture Company, who created digital ships and environment extensions, such as changing weather and designing cliffs and waterfalls. Filming the mermaids involved eight model-actresses, who portrayed them outside the water, as well as 22 synchronized swimming athletes and stuntmen who wore motion capture suits and were later replaced by digital mermaids. The design tried to avoid the traditional representations of mermaids in paintings and literature, instead going for a scaly body with a translucent membrane inspired by both jellyfish and the fabric employed in ballet tutus. To make the mermaids more menacing underwater, the faces of the actresses had some digital touch-ups on the underwater scenes, adding sharper teeth and a shimmery fish scale quality on the skin. Cinesite handled the recreation of London and Barbossa's peg leg, CIS Hollywood did 3D corrections and minor shots, and Method Studios created matte paintings.

Music

Main article: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (soundtrack)

The film's score was written by Hans Zimmer, who had worked in all previous movies; he was the main composer for the second and third installments. Zimmer said that he tried to incorporate a rock n' roll sound, as he felt "pirates were the rock 'n' rollers of many, many years ago", and Spanish elements, which led to a collaboration with Mexican guitarists Rodrigo y Gabriela and a tango song written by Penélope Cruz's brother Eduardo. American composer Eric Whitacre helped with choir-based songs, and Geoff Zanelli worked on many songs.

Release

Penélope Cruz and Johnny Depp promoting the film at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.

On January 6, 2010, Disney announced that the film would be released in the United States and Canada on May 20, 2011, following Columbia Pictures' announcement of a delay in the Spider-Man reboot and Paramount Pictures slating Thor for May 6, 2011. The film was released in IMAX 3D, as well as traditional 2D and IMAX format, with Dolby 7.1 surround sound.

The world premiere of On Stranger Tides was on May 7, 2011, at a premium ticket screening at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, home of the original Pirates of the Caribbean ride that inspired the film series. Many of the film's stars were in attendance. Two other early screenings followed, one in Moscow on May 11, and another during the Cannes International Film Festival on May 14. The international release dates fell within May 18 and May 20, with opening dates in the United Kingdom on May 18, in Australia on May 19, and in North America on May 20. The film was released on a then-record 402 IMAX screens, 257 screens in North America, and 139 in other territories. The total number of theaters was 4,155 in North America and 18,210 worldwide.

Promotion

Disney's marketing president, MT Carney, said that the film's advertising campaign was intended "to remind people of why they fell in love with Jack Sparrow in the first place and also introduce new elements in a way that was elegant". Sony Pictures' former marketing president, Valerie Van Galder, was hired as a consultant. The first footage from the film appeared on Entertainment Tonight on December 4, 2010. Three trailers were released, one in December, which had a 3D version included with the release of Tron: Legacy and broadcast by ESPN 3D; a Super Bowl XLV spot on February 2011, which was later released online in an extended version; and a final trailer in March that focused more on the plot than the previous trailer and commercials.

Promotional tie-ins included Lego Pirates of the Caribbean toy sets and a related video game, a cell phone app by Verizon Wireless, a special edition of Pirate's Booty, lines of nail polish by OPI, clothing from Hot Topic, and jewelry from Swarovski. Goldline International produced replicas of the "Pieces of Eight" coins from the movies and gold Mexican Escudo coins, which were given in sweepstakes at the El Capitan Theatre. At Disney California Adventure, the Pirates of the Caribbean segment of the World of Color show was extended to include visual clips and music from On Stranger Tides.

Home media

The film was released by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment on Blu-Ray and DVD on September 12, 2011 in the United Kingdom, topping both the Blu-ray and DVD sales charts during its first two weeks. The film had its high-definition home release on October 18, 2011 in the United States and Canada. Three different physical packages were made available: a 2-disc combo pack (Blu-ray and DVD), a 5-disc combo pack (2-disc Blu-ray, 1-disc Blu-ray 3D, 1-disc DVD, and 1-disc Digital Copy), and a 15-disc collection featuring all four Pirates movies. On Stranger Tides was also released as a movie download in both high definition and 3D. The regular DVD edition came out on November 15.

In its first week of release, it sold 1.71 million Blu-ray units and generated $48.50 million, topping the weekly Blu-ray chart. However these results were quite skewed due to the one-month delay of its DVD-only release. It sold 2.33 million Blu-ray units ($64.11 million) after three weeks.

Reception

Box-office performance

On Stranger Tides earned $241,071,802 in the North America and $802,800,000 in other countries, as of November 6, 2011, for a worldwide total of $1,043,871,802. It is the 8th highest-grossing film of all time worldwide and the 3rd highest-grossing film of 2011 behind Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 and Transformers: Dark of the Moon. It is also the second most successful installment of the series behind Dead Man's Chest, and the third highest-grossing Disney feature of all time worldwide behind Dead Man's Chest and Toy Story 3.

By grossing $350.6 million worldwide on its opening weekend, On Stranger Tides surpassed At World's End's $334 million as best in the series, and ranks it as the fifth highest worldwide opening. It also scored the largest worldwide debut of all time at IMAX theaters ($16.7 million) with a $61,000 per theater average, before being surpassed by Dark of the Moon ($23.1 million) and Deathly Hallows - Part 2 ($23.2 million).

It set records for reaching $500, $600 and $700 million worldwide the fastest (in 10, 12 and 16 days respectively), records since overtaken by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. After 46 days in theaters (July 2, 2011), it crossed the $1-billion-mark, becoming the eighth film in cinema history and the fourth film released by Walt Disney Studios to reach the milestone. It stands as the fourth-fastest film overall and the fastest Disney film to do so.

North America

During its Thursday-midnight showings, it earned $4.7 million from 2,210 theaters, and $34,860,549 in total on its opening day. As a whole, on its opening weekend, it earned $90,151,958, which made it the highest-grossing film of the weekend, but was a number much lower than the openings of its two latest predecessors (At World's End - $114.7 million and Dead Man's Chest - $135.6 million) and the last Johnny Depp spectacle (Alice in Wonderland - $116.1 million). 3D showings accounted for only 46 percent of its opening weekend gross. On its second weekend, On Stranger Tides placed third in the North American box office with $39.3 million, behind The Hangover: Part II and Kung Fu Panda 2. It closed in theaters on September 29, 2011, with a $241.1 million gross which puts it as the fourth highest-grossing film of the year in North America behind Deathly Hallows – Part 2, Dark of the Moon and Hangover 2, but also as the least profitable film of the franchise. Finally, while May 2011 was the highest-grossing May ever ($1.04 billion), On Stanger Tides was the top-grossing movie of the month (with $166.8 million), despite playing for just 12 days during May.

International market

Outside of the United States, On Stranger Tides is the highest-grossing Disney film of all time, the highest-grossing film of the Pirates of the Caribbean series and the 2nd highest-grossing 2011 film behind Deathly Hallows – Part 2. The film has also earned the fourth biggest gross overseas, behind Avatar, Titanic and Deathly Hallows – Part 2. Finally, On Stranger Tides is the highest-grossing Pirates film in at least 58 territories.

During its opening day on the foreign theatrical circuit (Wednesday 18 May 2011), the film made $18.5 million from 10 territories. On Stranger Tides added 37 territories and $25.7 million on Thursday, for a two-day total of $44.2 million, and on Friday, it expanded to almost the entire overseas market, earning $46.2 million for a three-day total of $92.1 million. On its 5-day opening weekend as a whole, it earned a then-record-breaking $260.4 million from 18,210 screens in more than 100 territories, in all which it reached first place at the box office. The record debut was surpassed later in the same summer season by Deathly Hallows Part 2. Unlike North America, 3D showings had a much larger account of the profit internationally, accounting for 66 percent of the weekend gross. It dominated for three weekends at the overseas box office despite competition from Hangover 2, Kung Fu Panda 2 and X-Men: First Class. It reached the $300, $400 and $500-million-mark at the overseas box office in record time (7, 11 and 14 days respectively), but these records were also overtaken by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.

On Stranger Tides set opening day records on both Russia - which includes the CIS - and Sweden, as well as opening weekend records in many nations - the film still retains the record in both Russia and the CIS, and Ukraine. Its highest grossing market after North America was Japan ($108,856,481), where it managed to surpass the $100-million-mark and mark the franchise's highest-grossing film. Other countries where it earned more than $10 million include China ($70,000,000), Russia and the CIS ($63,616,527), Germany ($62,438,491), the United Kingdom, Ireland and Malta ($54,187,325), France and the Maghreb region ($49,217,332), Brazil ($30,396,681), Australia ($29,006,640), Mexico ($28,992,018), Spain ($27,122,003), South Korea ($25,635,913), Italy ($24,461,143), the Netherlands ($14,567,517), Sweden ($13,213,495), Argentina ($11,696,923) and Poland ($10,110,633). It is the highest-grossing film of 2011 in Russia and the CIS, Ukraine, Greece ($5,218,525), Portugal and Angola ($4,232,686), South Africa ($3,651,559), Romania ($2,289,003), Bulgaria ($1,497,671), Egypt ($746,032), Estonia ($672,162), and Latvia ($487,793).

Critical reception

On Stranger Tides has received negative to mixed reviews. Review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes reports that 33% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 242 reviews, with a rating average of 5 out of 10. The site's consensus was "It's shorter and leaner than the previous sequel, but this Pirates runs aground on a disjointed plot and a non-stop barrage of noisy action sequences." Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, gives the film a rating score of 45 based on 39 reviews. CinemaScore polls reported that the average grade moviegoers gave the film was a B plus on an A plus to F scale.

Roger Ebert gave On Stranger Tides two out of four stars, saying that although the removal of Knightley and Bloom as well as the addition of Cruz were positive aspects, the film in general was "too much of a muchness" for him. Tom Long of The Detroit News gave a D+, saying that Jack Sparrow had "worn out his welcome". Despite the more linear plot, "the movie is still ridiculous". He found On Stranger Tides to be "precisely what you'd expect of the fourth installment of a movie based on an amusement park ride: a whole lot of noise, plenty of stunts and complete silliness." British film critic Mark Kermode gave the film an overwhelmingly negative review on his 5 Live show, saying "it's not as staggeringly misjudged as the third part, because it is just nothing, it is just a big empty nothing".

As with the previous films, the plot was criticized as incoherent and confusing. The Arizona Republic critic Bill Goodykoontz rated the film two out of five, stating that "the movie is a series of distractions tossed together in the hopes that they will come together in a coherent story. That never really happens." Online reviewer James Berardinelli considered the script "little more than a clothesline from which to dangle all of the obligatory set pieces", and USA Today's Claudia Puig found On Stranger Tides "familiar and predictable, ... often incoherent and crammed with pointless details."

Many felt that the film, while better than its predecessor, never reaches the level of the first in the franchise. Mike Scott from The Times-Picayune mentions that "while this latest chapter isn't quite sharp enough to restore the sense of discovery that made that first outing so darn exciting, it's enough to make up for most of the missteps that made the third one so darn arrgh-inducing." Writing for The A.V. Club, Tasha Robinson described On Stranger Tides as "a smaller film than past installments, by design and necessity", and felt that "the series has needed this streamlining" as the film "feels lightweight, but that's still better than bloated."

On Stranger Tides also had positive reviews; some critics found the film to be entertaining and well-made. Justine Cohen of 7films emphasized how "Depp gives another fantastic performance, so much so that the absence of Knightley and Bloom was not felt in the slightest". Richard Roeper gave the film a B+, describing it as "the most fun installment since the first", calling the story "pure cartoon, but a lot easier to follow than the other sequels", and summing as "the franchise is getting tired, but Penelope energizes it." Along the same lines, Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post gave the film three out of four stars, writing that it "feels as fresh and bracingly exhilarating as the day Jack Sparrow first swashed his buckle, infusing new reckless energy into a franchise that shows no signs of furling its sails". She said that Marshall "swiftly and without fuss delivers the action set pieces and eye-popping escapism" and praised Depp, Cruz, and McShane's performances. Ray Bennett from The Hollywood Reporter considered that Marshall "shows terrific flair with all the usual chases and sword fights, and he handles the 3D well", and welcomed Penélope Cruz's character, saying she "brings her Oscar-winning vivacity" and had "lively sexual tension" with Depp. Writing for The Globe and Mail, Rick Groen found the action scenes to range from "merely competent to tritely cluttered", but he was pleased with the overall result, calling McShane a "fresh villain" whose "stentorian tones are welcome anywhere". Variety's Andrew Barker considered the film derivative, but accessible. "It has nary an original idea and still doesn't make much sense, but it's lost all pretensions that it should". He praised Geoffrey Rush, stating that he "not only gets the funniest lines and reaction shots, but also starts to siphon away much of the roguish charm that used to be Depp's stock and trade."

Accolades

See also: List of accolades received by the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise

The film was nominated for four Teen Choice Awards: Sci-Fi/Fantasy Movie, Sci-Fi/Fantasy Actor, Sci-Fi/Fantasy Actress, and Villain. Its trailer and TV spot were nominated for Golden Trailer Awards.

External links

• Official US website
• Official UK website
• Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides at AllMovie
• Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides at Box Office Mojo
• Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides at IMDb
• Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides at Metacritic
• Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides at Rotten Tomatoes