Third 'Pirates' sets sail for Memorial Day record

LOS ANGELES, May 25 (Reuters) ''Spider-Man 3'' and ''Shrek the Third'' may have set opening day box office records this month, but Hollywood thinks the latest ''Pirates of the Caribbean'' movie will steal a hefty chunk of the summer movie season's treasure.

''Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End,'' which opens today in 102 countries and territories is the final film in a trilogy that has so far grossed 1.7 billion dollar at global box offices and has sold 40 million DVDs and home videos for the Walt Disney Co.

Advance ticket sales for the film were on par with the record-breaking 151 million dollar debut earlier this month for Sony Corp.'s ''Spider-Man 3'' but the film's length -- nearly three hours with trailers -- will limit the number of times it is shown and could affect its 3-day total, said Jeff Bock, an analyst for box office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations.

''At World's End'' also appears to be opening on slightly fewer screens than ''Spider-Man'' and DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc.'s ''Shrek the Third,'' which set an opening weekend record last week for an animated film at 122 million dollar.

''We are looking at a bow (debut) that's got to be between 'Shrek the Third' and 'Spider-Man 3,' and if everything works out it could surpass it,'' Bock said.

''No doubt it will be the biggest Memorial Day opening weekend, eclipsing 'X-Men: Last Stand' with a 4-day 122 million dollar total,'' Bock added.

Top US online ticket sellers Fandango.com and MovieTickets.com both showed ''At World's End'' outpacing ''Spider-Man'' at the same point in the sales cycle.

Disney Chief Executive Robert Iger told attendees at the Society of American Business Editors and Writers this week he was anxiously awaiting the public's reaction to the new film.

''This is one of those weekends where you are on your computer or waiting by the phone to get the results almost on an hourly basis,'' Iger said.

''Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest,'' the second film in the series, was the first live-action movie to pass 1 billion dollar in global box-office sales during a theatrical run. Disney has positioned itself to reap the full benefit of what could be the lucrative franchise's final film.

The company enlisted 13 corporate partners -- the most ever for any Disney film -- to promote ''At World's End.'' The partners include Volvo, Verizon Communications Inc., Coca-Cola Co., Circuit City, Best Buy and Toys 'R Us.

Disney has shipped 2.8 million units of its new video game and 2 million books from its ''Pirates of the Caribbean'' series in conjunction with the release of ''At World's End.'' The book franchise, which boasts 60 titles, has already sold 9 million units.

''Pirates'' merchandise is the company's No 2 selling line from a feature film, behind ''Cars,'' and the company plans to continue with the line of clothing, jewelry, furnishings, toys and collectibles for years to come, a Disney spokesman said.

The Walt Disney World and Disneyland theme parks installed WiFi hot spots that let gamers download exclusive content for the online ''Pirates'' game. Disneyland retooled its Tom Sawyer Island as a ''Pirates Lair'' that opens today.

REUTERS DKS PM0455