After the premiere, the film didn't open immediately; it waited for the weekend. At first Walt Disney Pictures scheduled pirates of the caribbean for a Wednesday launch in North America, but several test screenings earned strong word of mouth, so they shifted back to the traditional weekend.
pirates of the caribbean: the curse of the black pearl will kick off its buccaneer adventure with Thursday-night previews in more than 3,500 theaters.
As an actor, Matthew had no say in the matter—he simply cooperated with the Crew and Disney's rollout.
Once the Disneyland premiere ended, he focused on the film's reception; for a non-adaptation, non-sequel, buzz after opening weekend can make or break the run.
During the three days after the premiere, reviews from every outlet and critic appeared, and, as with the test screenings, the overall response was very positive.
Roger Ebert wrote in his column: pirates of the caribbean is family-friendly fun—light humor laced with mild thrills. Most notable are the visual effects. The plot is simple and the film never escapes Hollywood convention, yet it remains highly recommendable. Besides movies that scold society or expose darkness, we can choose something light, laugh, relive childhood pirate fantasies, and enjoy visual spectacle and beauty.
He singled out the two leads: Johnny Depp's Captain Jack Sparrow shatters every previous pirate stereotype; Depp delivers a dazzling performance. His partner, Matthew Horner's Will Turner, complements the captain perfectly—together they spark like flint on steel.
Mainstream North-American press was overwhelmingly favorable.
Family-friendly, just a bit long. USA Today
A terrific swashbuckler—exceptional, funny, spectacular. Entertainment Weekly
Johnny Depp and Matthew Horner give the summer's most amusing, energetic performances; they're the best reason to see it. The Washington Post
It feels like an extended music video. The two stars—Depp unhinged, Horner virile—will make anyone weary of summer movies lose themselves in Gore Verbinski's pure cinematic magic. Los Angeles Times
Great effects, memorable turns by Depp and Horner—perfect family viewing. Houston Chronicle
Matthew spent those days reading every major review and, from memory, sorted them: almost none trashed the film outright—he couldn't find any. Criticism focused on length, slow pacing, and a decorative but under-used heroine.
Praise centered on striking effects, a fresh spin on tired pirate lore, director Gore Verbinski, and the two male leads—himself and Johnny Depp.
premiere's critique was typical: Pirates tells a fun adventure story and stands as the summer's best blockbuster so far. Verbinski's camerawork deserves applause; Depp and Horner form this year's most vivid screen duo, their clashing personalities igniting fireworks no previous pirate film has matched.
Once media spread those plaudits, they stoked ticket-buying desire; the earlier gossip blitz had already primed audiences, and good reviews deepened the impression.
Plus, Pirates is essentially an all-ages children's film—family crowds remain a vital box-office bloc.
And spectacle-heavy pictures like this play best in theaters; for the next decade, home setups can't rival what cinemas deliver.
Every hit attracts some pans.
Some claimed Matthew offers only looks, no acting; style over substance; Jack Sparrow seems gay, Will his lover; heroine Elizabeth Swann is expendable. Still, bad notices were few—the movie is solid, and Walt Disney's publicity is legendary.
Longtime Hollywood insider Matthew knows buzz isn't organic; studios manufacture it as readily as movies, stars, or romances.
Of course, if the film were truly awful, no campaign could save it.
Among this summer's tentpoles, Pirates' reputation is outstanding.
Rotten Tomatoes lifted its embargo: of 46 reviews, most were fresh—an 82 % rating and 7.5 average.
That's rare for a kid-friendly comedy.
In the Internet age, word rockets nationwide within days.
So by Thursday night, previews played to healthy crowds—Matthew's Scorpion King fans, Depp loyalists, Keira Knightley admirers, Disney devotees, and the marketing-bombarded public formed the core audience.
When a film is neither an adaptation nor a sequel, its advance screenings hinge on marketing muscle, brand pull, and the drawing power of its lead actors and director.
pirates of the caribbean had strengths and weaknesses in each of those areas.
Just past midnight, Matthew was jolted awake by his phone's text tone. He fished it out from under his pillow and saw a message from Helen Herman containing a single number: 6.1!
He knew instantly it meant 6.1 million dollars—the advance-night gross for pirates of the caribbean.
The figure snapped him upright; drowsiness gave way to excitement. It obliterated the midnight tally of his own the scorpion king.
Running the math in his head, he guessed the first-day gross could flirt with twenty million and the opening weekend had a real shot at clearing fifty.
If that pace held, what might the North American total look like?
Matthew only remembered the movie had been huge—huge enough to spawn a franchise. Back then he'd watched Hollywood popcorn flicks for fun, never bothering to look up the numbers.
In his view, if word of mouth stayed hot and legs were strong, North America could hit three hundred million and global five. If so, as one of the leads he'd cruise straight into the second tier of Hollywood stardom.
Let this 6.1-million midnight haul be the spark that lights the box-office bonfire across North America and the world.
With that hope, Matthew lay back down—wide-awake now.
He speed-dialed Johnny Depp; most stars are nocturnal and Depp was their king.
The moment Depp picked up, Matthew blurted, "Depp, the preview numbers are in—did you see?"
Depp clearly hadn't. "How much?"
"Six-point-one million!" Matthew crowed.
"Oh…" Depp answered in that trademark drawl, then grumbled, "Matthew, ringing people at dawn is unspeakably rude."
Matthew wasn't listening. "Since when do you care?"
But before the words were out, he heard female voices—more than one. He cleared his throat. "Won't bug you anymore. We'll talk face-to-face."
Depp hung up instantly.
Listening to the dial tone, Matthew shrugged and set the phone aside. Depp sounded calm, but with that eccentric mind who knew? Maybe an early victory orgy was already underway.
He closed his eyes yet couldn't drift off, his head swirling with images of Pirates exploding at the box office and himself famous coast-to-coast.
"After this I might even outshine Depp," he mused.
The thought had barely formed when he remembered Helen's warning: Pirates had competition—20th Century Fox's the league of extraordinary gentlemen opened the same weekend.
"Let's not get ahead of myself in daydreaming" he mused softly then drifted back to sleep.