Even With Johnny Depp, Pirates Of The Caribbean's Budget Trend Proves Disney Must Go Back To Square One

Johnny Depp returning for Pirates of the Caribbean 6 wouldn’t be a solve-all—the Disney franchise’s box-office trends prove that it must return to the basics. Another Pirates of the Caribbean sequel has been confirmed, but just about everything is still in the air with this project. The big question on everyone’s mind has been whether Depp would return to the project or not, with a common sentiment being that the film can’t succeed without the star. However, another factor of the earlier Pirates of the Caribbean movies must be brought back into play if a sixth film is to redeem the franchise.

Of course, Depp’s return to play Jack Sparrow is a key first step. It’s becoming increasingly clear that fan outcry would be intense if the actor weren’t restored to his iconic role, especially considering Disney’s public dismissal of Depp leading up to his defamation trial with ex-wife Amber Heard. Still, it can’t be denied that the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise was in trouble long before any of this. The movies’ box-office numbers have been on a downward trend ever since the second installment, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest. Ironically, as Disney’s budget got higher, performance got even lower.

Disney’s Lowest-Budget Pirates Of The Caribbean Movies Performed The Best

The Higher The Budget Got, The Lower The Performance

Critically, the best-performing Pirates of the Caribbean movie was Curse of the Black Pearl, while the highest box-office profit came from the sequel, Dead Man’s Chest. From here, things went downhill. Critics had fewer and fewer good things to say about each installment, and by the time Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales was released in 2017, Disney’s domestic box office came in at $173 million. This result was especially disappointing since the budget for this film was a sizeable $230 million (via The Numbers).

Disney’s losses on Dead Men Tell No Tales become ironic when considering the fact that the Pirates of the Caribbean movies the company spent the least on performed the best. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is regarded as the best of the franchise, and it only required a production budget of $140 million. The film’s success inspired Disney to take things up a notch with Dead Man’s Chest, and they were rewarded with a phenomenal domestic box office of $423 million. Unfortunately, the continued budget increases didn’t pay off in the same way.

Later Pirates Of The Caribbean Movies Overdid It With CGI & Special Effects

More Expensive Doesn’t Necessarily Mean Better

Pirates of the Caribbean : The Curse of the Black Pearl most certainly featured heavy CGI and special effects, but the film didn’t depend on it from beginning to end. The villains were only skeletons in the moonlight, which meant characters like Barbossa could just appear normally human for the majority of the time. Davy Jones, on the other hand, required extensive CGI for every moment he was on the screen. This was effective for one film, but going into At World’s End, this character was just downright expensive but far less interesting to audiences after so long.

This, of course, wasn’t the end of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise’s expensive ideas. Disney seemed to be trying to outdo itself with every installment, and while the result was some visually stunning moments, ships sailing across desert sand or more villains requiring neverending CGI intervention just didn’t compare to the simplicity of The Curse of the Black Pearl. Now, as Disney attempts to jump back into this franchise, this budget trend should demonstrate to the company that going back to the basics could be a far more effective strategy.

Pirates Of The Caribbean 6 Returning To The Basics Would Only Help The Nostalgia Factor

The New Movie Should Feel Similar To Curse Of The Black Pearl

The Pirates of the Caribbean movies were in their heyday just as Hollywood was really stretching its wings in the way of movie magic. Technology has gone a long way in a very short amount of time, and we are to the point in the 2020s where it’s no longer surprising to see unimaginable things right on our screens. What’s far more impactful these days is the nostalgia of archaic technology. When watching Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, the outdated CGI is all part of the charm.

Disney most certainly won’t get away with a budget of only $140 million for The Pirates of the Caribbean 6. However, it would be hugely beneficial for the company to look at stories and concepts that can be managed as practically as possible. The film won’t be able to hide behind over-the-top CGI—it needs an exciting story, a lovable cast, and a campy, nostalgic feel. Hopefully, Depp will be included in this equation as well, but it’s even more important that Disney remembers all that made the earliest Pirates of the Caribbean movies so successful.