The demand was so huge for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End tickets that Disney wound up launching the third film of the Pirates series into theaters on Thursday night at 8pm instead of holding off until midnight. Disney also helped ensure Pirates fans wouldn't have any difficulty finding a theater showing At World's End by screening the film at a record-breaking 4,362 theaters in North America. Their strategy paid off.

Pirates hauled in $112.5 million domestically in three days ($126.5 if you add in the Thursday early screenings) and by the end of the Memorial Day weekend beat X-Men: The Last Stand's record take of $122.8 million for the extended holiday weekend. But there is some bad news for diehard Pirates fans. Pirates 3 failed to eclipse Spider-Man 3's 3-day record of $151.1 million.

Top 10 Films for the 4-Day Weekend Ending 05/28/07:
1) Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End - $139,802,190 ($153,042,234 including 5/24 previews)
2) Shrek the Third - $67,010,012
3) Spider-Man 3 - $18,112,261
4) Bug - $4,015,846
5) Waitress - $4,005,008
6) 28 Weeks Later - $3,280,306
7) Disturbia - $2,433,028
8) Georgia Rule - $2,407,910
9) Fracture - $1,646,761
10) Wild Hogs - $1,586,929
_{(Photo © Walt Disney Pictures)}

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A Pirates Villain Discusses At World's End and Beowulf
Greg Ellis alternated his time on the red carpet at the World Premiere of Disney’s third – and maybe final – Pirates movie, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, between signing autographs and talking to the mass of press lining Disneyland’s Main Street. Ellis reprises his role of Officer Groves from the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie in the third film of the series, but his character has undergone a couple of changes since we last saw him in The Curse of the Black Pearl. Read On...
_{(Photo © Richard Chavez)}