Pirates' box office treasure

Keira Knightley and Johnny Depp in 'Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End'

Leading the US box office for the second weekend was Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, followed by new pregnancy comedy Knocked Up.

According to studio estimates the third instalment in Walt Disney's buccaneering franchise sold US$43.2 million ($59.3 million) worth of tickets in the three days from June 1. Its 10-day total was US$216.5 million compared with the second Pirates film Dead Man's Chest which earned US$258 million in the same period last year.

Worldwide, the Johnny Depp adventure has earned US$625.3 million, and will soon pass the US$653 million total of the first Pirates film - 2003's The Curse of the Black Pearl. Dead Man's Chest took US$1.1 billion.

Knocked Up was in second place after taking $US29.3 million. The film stars Katherine Heigl (Grey's Anatomy) as an entertainment journalist impregnated during a drunken one-night stand with a slacker, played by Seth Rogen. Universal said 57 per cent of the audience was female, and 44 per cent were under 30. It is also the best-reviewed wide release so far this year with raves from 92 per cent of critics, according to Rotten Tomatoes (www.rottentomatoes.com), a website that tabulates reviews. Shrek the Third slipped one to number three with US$26.7 million, taking its three-week haul to US$254.6 million - about US$100 million off the pace of 2004's Shrek 2. The Kevin Costner thriller Mr Brooks opened at number four with $US10 million. Costner plays a serial killer who is pursued by a stalker. Critics were scathing and exit surveys were not good. Spider-Man 3 fell two places to number five with US$7.5 million. The superhero franchise has earned US$318.3 million after five weeks. The worldwide total stands at US$844 million, surpassing the US$821 million haul of 2002's Spider-Man, the previous record-holder in the franchise. Spider-Man 2, released in 2004, finished with US$784 million worldwide. - NZPA