What Put 'Pirates' Past 'Superman'?

Jess Cagle Weighs In On Factors Favoring 'Dead Man's Chest'

(CBS)  "Pirates of the Caribbean" is back, and boy did it make a splash.

The sequel, "Dead Man's Chest," starring Johnny Depp, set a box office record for an opening weekend, taking in 132 million, finishing far ahead of "Superman Returns," which made $21.9 million in its second weekend.

"The Devil Wears Prada" was third at $15.6 million.

People magazine editor at large and Early Show entertainment contributor Jess Cagle told co-anchor Hannah Storm this was, quite simply, "the biggest opening of all time. It broke all kinds of records. It was the first movie to cross $100 million within two days. Nobody expected, really, that this was even possible."

What powered "Pirates"?

"What has changed is, these giant multiplexes that are being built have enormous, stadium theaters. A lot of theater owners, once they saw the lines, they made those theaters available. So, they managed to sell a lot of tickets."

Cagle added, "The amazing thing about the movie is it appealed to men and women over 25 and under 25. Very few movies appeal to all age groups and all genders."

The first "Pirates" movie grossed about $300 million. Does this one have the potential go become the highest-grossing movie ever?

"It looks like this one is on track to do at least ($300 million)," Cagle observed. "I think 'Titanic" still reigns as the most successful movie of all-time. And I don't know if it's going to crack that, but I think it's going to make at least what the first one made."

To sail past "Titanic," Cagle said, "Dead Man's Chest" would have to "appeal to everyone, like "Pirates" did. But it also has to appeal to all age groups to the extent that they'll go to see it over and over and over again. I don't know that adults, especially, are going to go see ('Dead Man's Chest') over and over and over again."

Depp, Cagle says, "was famous for a long time, but he's really a household name now. It's really incredible. The first "Pirates" got him an Oscar nomination. I don't know if that will happen again."

Is "Superman Returns" proving to be a disappointment?

" 'Superman' is a big disappointment," Cagle concluded, "so expensive to make. The last thing that "Superman" needed was to have "Pirates" open in its second weekend. And it still made $140 million in ten days. So it's OK!"