Pirates of the Caribbean is one of those franchises whose sequels never seemed to be able to capture the kind of magic that the first one did. However, if early reactions from CinemaCon are of any indication, it seems as though Dead Men Tell No Tales is going to be a major return to form for the franchise.
When Disney first announced another Pirates movie, many were skeptical, even though the addition of Kon-Tiki directors Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg – who claimed that they’d be looking to recapture the tone of the original movie – did raise a bit of optimism. Disney just screened the full movie at CinemaCon, and based on early reactions, it looks like the Rønning and Sandberg duo succeeded in restoring the franchise to its former glory.
Also has, in Kaya Scodelario @kScodders, the strongest female character in the franchise. #CinemaCon2017
— Sean P. Means (@moviecricket) March 29, 2017
You might be surprised to hear me say this but I really dug the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Action set pieces are a lot of fun. pic.twitter.com/mluWwqyU8r
— Steven Weintraub (@colliderfrosty) March 29, 2017
Also the action scenes are really well staged and easy to follow. So much better than the last one. #PiratesoftheCaribbean
— Steven Weintraub (@colliderfrosty) March 29, 2017
? for #PiratesoftheCaribbean. You don’t think you need more Jack Sparrow and then you realize you needed more Jack Sparrow#CinemaCon
— ErikDavis (@ErikDavis) March 29, 2017
Fans of #PiratesoftheCaribbean will not be disappointed. Pirates 5 is a very fun, action packed adventure w subtle nods to the ride itself.
— Yolanda Machado (@SassyMamainLA) March 29, 2017
The new Pirates of the Caribbean is a big step up from the lifeless 4. Back to the fun myth building, still miss Verbinski’s imprint.
— Eric Vespe (@EricVespe) March 29, 2017
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is a pleasant surprise. Continues the legacy, focuses on the characters and the world.
— Peter Sciretta (@slashfilm) March 29, 2017
Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Men Tell No Takes has most heart since first movie. (1) #CinemaCon2017
— Gregory Ellwood (@TheGregoryE) March 29, 2017
Even with good reception, however, Pirates 5 has its work cut out for it to be successful. Right now, it’s shaping up to be the second-most expensive movie in the franchise after its ridiculously overbudget predecessor On Stranger Tides on a $320M production budget, which itself is about $70M more than Disney was initially targeting for the movie. It’s also the first sequel to the franchise in 6 years, and the last time a successful Johnny Depp-led vehicle tried that, we got Alice Through The Looking Glass – one of Disney’s biggest bombs of 2016. But given that there’s a big enough audience that actually wants another Pirates of the Caribbean sequel (whereas nobody was really all that keen on another Alice In Wonderland movie to begin with), I’d say that their chances of success are a lot higher this time around.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales sets sail on May 26, 2017. The film stars Johnny Depp, Javier Bardem, Brendon Thwaites, Kaya Scodelario, Kevin McNally, Geoffrey Rush, and Orlando Bloom. Plans for potential sequels are still in place.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter