'Pirates of the Caribbean 4' passes $1 billion!

They did it again! Walt Disney has a reason to celebrate because its "Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" passed the $1 billion mark this weekend. Yep, the fourth film in the ridiculously profitable franchise lifted its global box office gross to $1,008.9 billion.

While "On Stranger Tides" only bagged $234.2 million domestically, the Johnny Depp adventure generated $774.7 million overseas. For Disney, it's a huge success, considering they developed this film with a budget smaller than that of its predecessor.

Additionally, "Tides" is now the second film of the series to cross $1 billion. "Pirates of the Caribbean:
Dead Man's Chest" did it as well, earning $1,066.1 million total during its theatrical run. What does this mean? Get ready for more Captain Jack action...

'Super 8' is No. 1 with $12M Friday

J.J. Abrams' sci-fi flick "Super 8" delivered quite the solid start at the North American box office Friday, bagging an estimated $12.2 million from ticket sales at 3,379 locations. The film could wind up with a $35 million weekend.

Produced by Steven Spielberg, "Super 8" follows a group of kids who witness a horrific train crash that unleashes some sort of threstening force over their small town. "Super 8" scored an average of $3,611 per theater Friday.

Also doing pretty well still was "X-Men: First Class," which collected $7.6 million in second place. The prequel brought its domestic gross to $81.4 million. "The Hangover Part II" followed in third place, pulling $5.7 million ($203.8 million total).

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Dreamworks Animation Chief talks the decline of 3D

Even with the many 3D releases coming to theaters this summer, there has been an alarming dip in the grosses of 3D films at the domestic box office. Although 3D summer tentpoles such as "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" have been immensely successful (surpassing the $800 million mark), a majority of moviegoers opted to see the film in 2D rather than 3D. The same happened with the Dreamworks film "Kung Fu Panda 2." 

The Hollywood Reporter recently sat down with Dreamworks Animation Chief Jeffrey Katzenberg to discuss the declining number of 3D moviegoers. According to Katzenberg, "Too many 3D movies from other companies have been more show than substance, betraying the consumer." Regarding this problem, Katzenberg when on to say that "It's really heartbreaking to see what has been the single greatest opportunity that has happened to the film business in over a decade being harmed."

Do you agee with Katzenberg? Are certain studios betraying consumers by pumping out lackluster 3D films? Or are people just getting tired of 3D in general?

Box Office: 'X-Men: First Class' takes $56M

"X-Men: First Class" earned 20th Century Fox a win at the North American box office Sunday, grabbing a decent $56 million in ticket sales. While that's a bit higher than the opening of the first "X-Men," it's also far behind the debuts of the previous sequels.

"First Class" scored an average of $15,380 per theater at 3,641 locations. In comparison, "Wolverine" took $85 million, "X2" snatched $85.5 million and "X-Men: The Last Stand" scored $102 million. "First Class" was produced on a budget of $160 million.

Dropping to second place this weekend was "The Hangover Part II," which after picking up a strong $32.4 million, is closing in on the $200 million mark with a domestic total of $186.8 million. Its predecessor made it all the way to a stunning $277 million.

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'X-Men: First Class' earns $21M Friday

Matthew Vaughn's "X-Men: First Class" prequel scored an okay start at the North American box office Friday, grabbing an estimated $21 million in ticket sales from 3,642 sites. That said, the film failed to even come near the solid $34.4 million opening day of "X-Men Origins: Wolverine."

"X-Men First Class" should be able to finish this weekend with a cume of around $50 million, which is decent, but certainly not great. Friday's gross of $21 million includes the $3.4 million the flick scored from midnight screenings. Maybe word of mouth will give the prequel another boost.

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'Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides' hits $700 million

While the fourth chapter in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" series may have suffered the scorn of many critics, it isn't suffering at the worldwide box office. Only 16 days after its release, the film has managed to set an industry record for speed for passing the $700 million mark. According to The Hollywood Reporter, much of this can be attributed to the thriving 3D market in countries such as Russia and China. As of right now, it is the top grossing film of the year at the global box office. 

Box Office: 'Hangover Part II' triumphs with $86M

It has been a great holiday weekend for Todd Phillips' "The Hangover Part II," because the sequel to the 2009 comedy hit bagged a massive $86.4 million, which is double the earnings "The Hangover" brought in on opening weekend. Way to go, Wolfpack!

"Part II" scorced an average of $23,923 per theater at 3,615 locations, lifting its cumulative gross to an impressive $118 million (the film opened Thursady). The film stars Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Justin Bartha and Ken Jeong.

Coming in at No. 2 this weekend was "Kung Fu Panda 2," which collected $48 million from ticket sales at 3,925 sites. Although this is not a terrible performance, the sequel failed to beat the $60-million opening weekend gross of its 2008 predecessor.

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Box Office: 'Pirates of the Caribbean' 4 wins with $90M

Captain Jack and his pirate buddies took over the North American box office this weekend with a decent $90.1 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday. The fourth film in the adventure series scored an average of $21,685 per theater at 4,155 locations.

Still, Rob Marshall's "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" failed to match the $114 million opening weekend gross of its predecessor "At World's End." The flick did play in less theaters, but then again, ticket prices (especially for 3D showings) are higher these days.

At a distant No. 2, "Bridesmaids" celebrated yet another strong weekend, bagging $21 million from ticket sales at 2,937 sites. The comedy starring Kristen Wiig as a maid of honor trying to control a bunch of crazy bridesmaids lifted its total haul to $59.5 million.

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'Pirates of the Caribbean 4' takes $35M Friday

Rob Marshall's "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" is already doing pretty well at the worldwide box office, but domestically, the fourth installment in the series only bagged $35 million Friday. Not bad either, but it's not up there with the performance of its predecessor.

Now, "On Stranger Tides" generated $4.7 million from midnight screenings. On Friday, it managed to grab the $35 million from screenings at 4,155 theaters. Right now, it looks like the flick starring Johnny Depp will earn $89 million total this weekend. Okay, it could be worse, I guess.

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'Bridesmaids' now beating 'Thor' at box office

"Bridesmaids" has been doing pretty well the last couple of days, taking over the top spot at the North American box office with $2.9 million Monday and $3.4 million Tuesday. Indeed, Kristen Wiig and her crazy girls have forced "Thor" to take a step back and settle for second place.

Still, "Thor" wasn't far behind. On Monday, Paramount's action adventure brought in $2.8 million, and on Tuesday, the film bagged $3 million. Its domestic total currently stands at 125.4 million. "Bridesmaids" has lifted its cumulative gross to $32.6 million after only a few days in release.

Neither "Thor" nor "Bridesmaids" will reign the box office this weekend, because "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" will easily win the race via screenings at 4,000 locations. Captain Jack Sparrow is back, and he's hungry for more box office gold.

Source: Box Office Mojo (www.boxofficemojo.com)