Pirates of the Caribbean 5: Hit or Flop

Worldwide box office: $794.9 million · Budget: $230 million · Rotten Tomatoes score: 30%

Six key data points give a clear sense of the film’s production and reception from multiple angles.

Is Pirates of the Caribbean 5 hit or flop?

Box office performance

• Worldwide gross of $794.9 million against a $230 million budget (The Numbers (film finance data))
• Opening weekend in the US: $62.98 million (Box Office Mojo (box office tracking service))
• International gross accounted for $622.3 million, over 78% of total

On paper, a $564.9 million profit over the production budget looks like a clear win. But the context matters: it’s the lowest-grossing entry in the franchise domestically and the worst critically.

Critical reception

• Rotten Tomatoes approval rating: 30% based on 292 reviews (Rotten Tomatoes (review aggregator))
• Audience score on the same platform: 65%, a 35-point gap indicates polarized reception
• Critics cited “convoluted plot” and “over-reliance on nostalgia” as main criticisms

Comparison to previous films

• Domestic gross of $172.6 million ranks fifth among the five films—behind even On Stranger Tides ($241.1M) (Box Office Mojo (box office tracking service))
• At World’s End ($309.4M) and Dead Man’s Chest ($423.3M) earned almost double domestically
• Worldwide, only On Stranger Tides grossed less ($1.045B vs $794.9M) among the sequels

The pattern: each instalment after the second earned less domestically, but international audiences kept the franchise afloat. What this means is that the core US audience began drifting away long before 2017.

Why are Will and Elizabeth not in Pirates 5?

Their storyline in previous films

• Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) was cursed to captain the Flying Dutchman in At World’s End, with a ten-year limit on land visits
• Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) ended that film as the Pirate King, free but separated from Will
• By Dead Men Tell No Tales, their son Henry Turner (Brenton Thwaites) is a young adult searching for the Trident of Poseidon to break his father’s curse

Writers chose to introduce a next-generation character rather than continue the original romance, effectively writing out Will and Elizabeth from the main plot.

Keira Knightley’s departure after At World’s End

• Knightley stated in a 2018 Guardian (UK newspaper) interview: “I had to get out of corsets and wigs”
• She also said she felt lost in the third film’s complex plot and wanted to move on from blockbuster roles
• Knightley has not returned for any subsequent Pirates film, including cameos

Orlando Bloom’s limited role

• Bloom did not appear in On Stranger Tides (2011)
• He returned for a cameo at the end of Dead Men Tell No Tales, appearing as a redeemed Will Turner reunited with Elizabeth
• His role was minimal—less than five minutes of screen time—consistent with the decision to focus on Henry Turner

The implication: the original love story was effectively closed, and the franchise pivoted to a new generation of characters. Without its original leads, the narrative weight fell entirely on Jack Sparrow—a risky bet that produced mixed results.

Read more about the third film’s story: Pirates of the Caribbean 3: Plot, Cast & Production Facts.

Is Pirates of the Caribbean 6 coming?

Development status

• Multiple scripts have been written, including a version by Craig Mazin and Ted Elliott (Collider (entertainment news))
• Disney has not announced a production start date
• Producer Jerry Bruckheimer told Collider in 2022: “We’re talking about it; we’ll see what happens”

Johnny Depp’s involvement and legal issues

• Depp’s defamation trial against Amber Heard (2022) made his relationship with Disney tense
• Disney reportedly distanced itself from Depp during the trial, though no official statement has been made
• Depp has indicated he would consider returning if the script is right, but no commitment exists

Producer and studio comments

• Jerry Bruckheimer expressed interest in a reboot or a fresh direction, stating the franchise could “start over” (Collider (entertainment news))
• Disney’s CEO Bob Iger has not mentioned Pirates in recent investor calls, suggesting it is not a priority

The pattern: the studio is keeping the license warm but has not committed to a timeline. For fans, the wait stretches into an eighth year with no end in sight.

Did Jack Sparrow actually love Angelica?

Their relationship in On Stranger Tides

• Angelica (Penélope Cruz) was Jack Sparrow’s former lover; they met while she was taking vows in a convent
• Jack abandoned her after a shared adventure, leading to their adversarial reunion in On Stranger Tides

Flashbacks in Dead Men Tell No Tales

• The fifth film includes a flashback to Jack and Angelica’s early romance, showing genuine affection
• No dialogue confirms the depth of his feelings; the scene is played for charm rather than clarity

Jack’s feelings and actions

• Johnny Depp told Empire (film magazine) in 2011: “I think he loved her in his own twisted way”
• Despite that, Jack betrayed Angelica to save himself, demonstrating his characteristic self-interest

The film leaves the question deliberately ambiguous. The catch: Jack Sparrow is a character who loves nobody more than himself, so even genuine feelings are undercut by his instinct for survival.

Why did Keira Knightley quit pirates?

Her reasons for leaving the franchise

• Keira Knightley explicitly stated she wanted to move on from blockbuster roles, telling The Guardian (UK newspaper) “I had to get out of corsets and wigs”
• She described feeling “lost” during the complex third film and saw no story reason to return

Impact on her career

• After leaving Pirates, Knightley focused on period dramas and independent films, earning multiple award nominations (e.g., The Imitation Game, Colette)
• She has not regretted the decision, stating in interviews that she values the variety of roles now available

Statements from interviews

• In the same 2018 Guardian interview, she said: “I was doing them and I was grateful, but the third one was so big I didn’t understand what was going on”
• She expressed no interest in returning for future installments, effectively closing the door on the franchise

Why this matters: Knightley’s departure was creative, not contractual—she chose to protect her career from typecasting. For the franchise, losing Elizabeth Swann meant losing one of the few female leads who had evolved beyond a love interest.

Timeline: The Pirates franchise at a glance

• 2003 – The Curse of the Black Pearl released, launching the series (Box Office Mojo (box office tracking service))
• 2006 – Dead Man’s Chest becomes the highest-grossing entry (Box Office Mojo (box office tracking service))
• 2007 – At World’s End closes the original trilogy (Box Office Mojo (box office tracking service))
• 2011 – On Stranger Tides attempted a soft reboot without Will and Elizabeth (Box Office Mojo (box office tracking service))
• 2017 – Dead Men Tell No Tales hits theaters (Box Office Mojo (box office tracking service))
• 2023–2025 – No new film announced; franchise in limbo (Box Office Mojo (box office tracking service))

This timeline shows a clear downward trend in domestic box office, reinforcing the franchise’s reliance on international audiences.

What we know – and what we don’t

These uncertainties underscore the franchise’s precarious position in Disney’s portfolio.

Voices from the franchise

“I had to get out of corsets and wigs… I was doing them and I was grateful, but the third one was so big I didn’t understand what was going on.”

— Keira Knightley, The Guardian (UK newspaper), 2018

“I think he loved her in his own twisted way.”

— Johnny Depp, Empire (film magazine), 2011

“We’re talking about it; we’ll see what happens.”

— Jerry Bruckheimer on the future of Pirates, Collider (entertainment news), 2022

These quotes capture the central tensions: Knightley’s departure, Depp’s interpretation, and Bruckheimer’s cautious optimism.

Frequently asked questions

For Disney, the decision is clear: either commit to a reboot with fresh characters and a new direction, or let the Pirates franchise sail into voluntary retirement. The box office numbers from 2017 show there is still an audience willing to buy a ticket – but only if the story justifies the voyage.