One of the Most Beloved Fantasy Franchise-Starters of All Time Is Back on Streaming Charts

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In over three years at Collider, senior author Jake has now penned over 2500 articles covering a wide range of TV and film for the resources, lists, utilities, news, and interview teams. Alongside interviewing stars such as Selin Hizli, Rose Ayling-Ellis, and Chelsea Peretti, Jake was lucky enough to visit the set of Aardman and Netflix's Wallace and Gromit: A Vengeance Most Fowl in 2024, getting the chance to chat with four-time Academy Award winner Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham. Jake has also worked for other publications, including Agents of Fandom.

A soft reboot of Disney's most famous swashbuckling adventures is on its way, with a sixth film in Disney’s blockbuster franchise officially in development. Ready to set sail on the seven seas once again, Johnny Depp is reportedly being eyed to reprise his iconic role as Captain Jack Sparrow, although news surrounding a potential return for the likes of Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley remains quiet, with the latter even admitting that "there haven't been any conversations" in a previous interview.

As news continues to filter in about this return for the Pirates franchise, the movie that started it all has found success on the streaming charts. At the time of writing, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, directed by Gore Verbinski and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, is one of the ten most-streamed titles on Disney+ in the U.S. A film that has aged like a fine wine despite controversy surrounding one of its stars, The Curse of the Black Pearl boasts a strong, "certified fresh" 79% on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, with the critics' consensus reading, "May leave you exhausted like the theme park ride that inspired it; however, you'll have a good time when it's over." The synopsis for the movie reads:

"Capt. Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) arrives at Port Royal in the Caribbean without a ship or crew. His timing is inopportune, however, because later that evening the town is besieged by a pirate ship. The pirates kidnap the governor's daughter, Elizabeth (Keira Knightley), who's in possession of a valuable coin that is linked to a curse that has transformed the pirates into the undead. A gallant blacksmith (Orlando Bloom) in love with Elizabeth allies with Sparrow in pursuit of the pirates."

Was 'The Curse of the Black Pearl' a Box Office Hit?

Produced for a reported $140 million, Disney had a lot riding on a film based solely on a theme park attraction. Thankfully, this paid off, with the film returning almost five times this investment with a global total of $654 million. Split between a domestic haul of $305 million and a further $349 million from overseas markets, Curse of the Black Pearl sailed to box office success, becoming the fourth highest-grossing movie of 2003 worldwide in the process.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is currently available to stream on Disney+. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.