# Pirates of the Caribbean (film series)
**Pirates of the Caribbean** (Japanese: パイレーツ・オブ・カリビアン) is a series of five American fantasy swashbuckler films released between 2003 and 2017, adapted from the [Pirates of the Caribbean](https://www.edgepedia.org/pirates-of-the-caribbean) boat attraction at Disney theme parks and starring [Johnny Depp](https://www.edgepedia.org/johnny-depp) as Captain Jack Sparrow.[1](http://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/film/pirates-caribbean-series-film) • [2](https://disneyplus.disney.co.jp/blog/maximum-guide/pirates-of-the-caribbean) The five films grossed $4,522,062,632 (£3.34 billion) worldwide as of 21 September 2017, making the series the highest-grossing pirate movie series on record.[3](https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/384504-highest-grossing-pirate-movie-series)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Films | Five features released July 9, 2003; July 7, 2006; May 25, 2007; May 20, 2011; and May 26, 2017, all distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures[1](http://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/film/pirates-caribbean-series-film) • [4](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/franchise/fr3494350597/) |
| Worldwide gross | $4,522,062,632 (£3.34 billion) as of 21 September 2017, per The Numbers[3](https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/384504-highest-grossing-pirate-movie-series) |
| Biggest single film | Dead Man's Chest (2006), $1,066,179,725 worldwide[3](https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/384504-highest-grossing-pirate-movie-series) |
| Biggest opening | Dead Man's Chest, $135,634,554 in 4,133 domestic theaters[4](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/franchise/fr3494350597/) |
| Origin | The log flume–style boat attraction at Walt Disney theme parks[1](http://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/film/pirates-caribbean-series-film) |
| Signature music | Main theme "He's a Pirate" (彼こそが海賊)[2](https://disneyplus.disney.co.jp/blog/maximum-guide/pirates-of-the-caribbean) |
| Awards | Five Academy Award nominations for the first film, including Best Actor for Johnny Depp[1](http://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/film/pirates-caribbean-series-film) |
| Status | No new installment since 2017; a reboot has been rumored at Disney[5](https://guides.justwatch.com/uk/pirates-of-the-caribbean-movies-in-order) |
## Origins and development
The series began as an adaptation of the eponymous log flume–style boat attraction at several [Walt Disney](https://www.edgepedia.org/walt-disney) theme parks.[1](http://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/film/pirates-caribbean-series-film) The first film, *Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl*, was directed by [Gore Verbinski](https://www.edgepedia.org/gore-verbinski), produced by [Jerry Bruckheimer](https://www.edgepedia.org/jerry-bruckheimer), and written by Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio.[1](http://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/film/pirates-caribbean-series-film) The French national library's authority record identifies the work as a series of feature adventure/action films inaugurated in 2003 by Verbinski's *The Curse of the Black Pearl*.[6](https://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb18097613t)
The film was an unexpected commercial hit, grossing over $650 million worldwide, and Disney continued the series with Bruckheimer producing throughout; every film in the franchise carries his producing credit.[1](http://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/film/pirates-caribbean-series-film) • [5](https://guides.justwatch.com/uk/pirates-of-the-caribbean-movies-in-order) The productions used state-of-the-art digital effects, including computer-generated imagery (CGI) and three-dimensional (3D) animation.[1](http://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/film/pirates-caribbean-series-film)
## Films
The series comprises five films.[1](http://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/film/pirates-caribbean-series-film)
1. **The Curse of the Black Pearl** (July 9, 2003), directed by Gore Verbinski; $305,413,918 domestic, $654,310,819 worldwide.[4](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/franchise/fr3494350597/) • [3](https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/384504-highest-grossing-pirate-movie-series)
2. **Dead Man's Chest** (July 7, 2006), Verbinski; $423,315,812 domestic, $1,066,179,725 worldwide, the series' largest figure in both columns.[4](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/franchise/fr3494350597/) • [3](https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/384504-highest-grossing-pirate-movie-series)
3. **At World's End** (May 25, 2007), Verbinski; $309,420,425 domestic, $960,996,492 worldwide.[4](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/franchise/fr3494350597/) • [3](https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/384504-highest-grossing-pirate-movie-series)
4. **On Stranger Tides** (May 20, 2011), directed by [Rob Marshall](https://www.edgepedia.org/rob-marshall) as a standalone sequel based on [Tim Powers](https://www.edgepedia.org/tim-powers)' 1987 novel of the same name; $241,071,802 domestic, $1,045,713,802 worldwide.[1](http://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/film/pirates-caribbean-series-film) • [4](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/franchise/fr3494350597/) • [3](https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/384504-highest-grossing-pirate-movie-series)
5. **Dead Men Tell No Tales** (May 26, 2017), directed by [Joachim Rønning](https://www.edgepedia.org/joachim-r-nning) and Espen Sandberg; $172,558,876 domestic, $794,861,794 worldwide.[1](http://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/film/pirates-caribbean-series-film) • [4](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/franchise/fr3494350597/) • [3](https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/384504-highest-grossing-pirate-movie-series)
The fifth film was released in some territories under the alternate title *Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar's Revenge*.[5](https://guides.justwatch.com/uk/pirates-of-the-caribbean-movies-in-order) It arrived six years after *On Stranger Tides*, the longest gap between entries to that point, and attempted to reboot the franchise for a younger audience.[5](https://guides.justwatch.com/uk/pirates-of-the-caribbean-movies-in-order)
## Cast and characters
Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow, an eccentric, rum-swilling pirate, is the figure the series is built around; the Disney Japan official guide credits the character's worldwide popularity with driving the franchise's explosive success.[1](http://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/film/pirates-caribbean-series-film) • [2](https://disneyplus.disney.co.jp/blog/maximum-guide/pirates-of-the-caribbean) The original trilogy also features [Orlando Bloom](https://www.edgepedia.org/orlando-bloom) and [Keira Knightley](https://www.edgepedia.org/keira-knightley), whom Rotten Tomatoes' ranked guide treats as the core of the first three films.[7](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/guide/pirates-of-the-caribbean/)
In *Dead Men Tell No Tales*, Sparrow hunts the mythical [Trident of Poseidon](https://www.edgepedia.org/trident-of-poseidon) while pursued by the ghostly Captain Armando Salazar, played by [Javier Bardem](https://www.edgepedia.org/javier-bardem), with [Kaya Scodelario](https://www.edgepedia.org/kaya-scodelario) as Carina Smyth and Lewis McGowan as Henry Turner.[5](https://guides.justwatch.com/uk/pirates-of-the-caribbean-movies-in-order) The films are set in a world featuring the British Empire, the East India Trading Company, and the Spanish Empire, with the pirates representing freedom from the ruling powers.[8](https://www.themoviedb.org/collection/295-pirates-of-the-caribbean-collection)
## Reception
*The Curse of the Black Pearl* earned both commercial and critical success, receiving five Academy Award nominations including Best Actor for Depp.[1](http://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/film/pirates-caribbean-series-film) Critical reception weakened across the sequels even as grosses rose: *Dead Man's Chest* and *At World's End* grossed a combined $2 billion worldwide despite weaker reviews.[1](http://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/film/pirates-caribbean-series-film) Rotten Tomatoes' critics consensus for *At World's End* notes that it "provides the thrilling action scenes, but mixes in too many characters".[7](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/guide/pirates-of-the-caribbean/) The aggregation site's ranked guide separates the original trilogy from the later "franchise extenders" *On Stranger Tides* and *Dead Men Tell No Tales*.[7](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/guide/pirates-of-the-caribbean/)
## Music
The series' signature main theme is "[He's a Pirate](https://www.edgepedia.org/hes-a-pirate)" (彼こそが海賊), the melody most identified with the films.[2](https://disneyplus.disney.co.jp/blog/maximum-guide/pirates-of-the-caribbean) The first film also echoes the park attraction directly: the song young Elizabeth sings at the bow of the ship at the start of *The Curse of the Black Pearl*, "Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)" (ヨーホー ヨーホー（海賊の暮らし）), is the song the pirates sing inside the attraction.[2](https://disneyplus.disney.co.jp/blog/maximum-guide/pirates-of-the-caribbean)
## By the numbers
The franchise's commercial profile rests on a few figures. Its five films earned $4,522,062,632 worldwide as of 21 September 2017, per The Numbers as cited by [Guinness World Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/guinness-world-records), while the streaming guide rounds the same total to $4.5 billion since 2003.[3](https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/384504-highest-grossing-pirate-movie-series) • [5](https://guides.justwatch.com/uk/pirates-of-the-caribbean-movies-in-order) Two entries crossed $1 billion worldwide: *Dead Man's Chest* ($1,066,179,725) and *On Stranger Tides* ($1,045,713,802).[3](https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/384504-highest-grossing-pirate-movie-series) *Dead Man's Chest* also set the franchise's largest domestic opening, $135,634,554 in 4,133 theaters.[4](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/franchise/fr3494350597/) Domestic totals declined with each later entry, from $423,315,812 for *Dead Man's Chest* to $172,558,876 for *Dead Men Tell No Tales*.[4](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/franchise/fr3494350597/)
Beyond ticket sales, the franchise is a multibillion-dollar brand spanning films, theme-park rides, books, video games, toys, clothes, and other branded merchandise, and it helped revive the long-dormant pirate genre.[1](http://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/film/pirates-caribbean-series-film)
## Future and current status
No new installment has been released since *Dead Men Tell No Tales* in 2017, and a reboot has been rumored as in the works at Disney.[5](https://guides.justwatch.com/uk/pirates-of-the-caribbean-movies-in-order)
## References
1. [Pirates of the Caribbean series (film), EBSCO Research Starters](http://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/film/pirates-caribbean-series-film)
2. [『パイレーツ・オブ・カリビアン』を順番に一気見！, Disney+ (Disney Japan)](https://disneyplus.disney.co.jp/blog/maximum-guide/pirates-of-the-caribbean)
3. [Highest grossing pirate movie series, Guinness World Records](https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/384504-highest-grossing-pirate-movie-series)
4. [Franchise: Pirates of the Caribbean, Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/franchise/fr3494350597/)
5. [The Pirates of the Caribbean Movies In Order, JustWatch UK](https://guides.justwatch.com/uk/pirates-of-the-caribbean-movies-in-order)
6. [Notice de titre conventionnel "Pirates of the Caribbean (film ; série)", Bibliothèque nationale de France](https://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb18097613t)
7. [Pirates of the Caribbean Movies Ranked, Rotten Tomatoes](https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/guide/pirates-of-the-caribbean/)
8. [Pirates of the Caribbean Collection, The Movie Database](https://www.themoviedb.org/collection/295-pirates-of-the-caribbean-collection)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Film franchises and series (overviews)*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Sep 20, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license