UPDATED NEWS — The latest talk intercepted by Caribbean Trading Company confirms that the billion-dollar hit of 2006, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST, will receive two separate DVD releases on December 5th.  Here's a preview of the two sets' box cover art as seen on Amazon.com, where both issues are available for pre-order:

The one-disc release will include DEAD MAN'S CHEST, plus unconfirmed reports of a feature commentary (participants yet unknown) and perhaps a blooper reel as the 'bare bones' bonus features.

The two-disc special edition set included a limited edition holographic image on the package cover.   Inside the disc set includes the feature film and bonus items in the single-disc set, plus: a behind-the scenes documentary Captain Jack featurette an effects reel on making the Kraken Legend of Davy Jones featurette mini-docs on swordfighting and location filming Producer Jerry Bruckheimer's on-set photo diary Video from the film's red carpet World Premiere and bonus material on the enchanced Disneyland attraction

Caribbean Trading Company will continue to barter for officially release information and post it as soon as available, so stay anchored here, mates!

POTC: DEAD MAN'S CHEST has passed the $1 Billion mark in worldwide box office earnings, with a total take of $1,008,991,183 as of the weekend ending September 10th. 

PIRATES 2 has plundered over $416 Million at U.S. theaters, surpassing Spider-Man to become the 6th highest grossing film in American release.  Jack Sparrow and crew are now within $16 Million of passing Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace which currenly holds 5th place.

Internationally, PIRATES 2 continues to sack and pillage theaters just as voraciously, having earned over $592 Million since opening overseas.  DEAD MAN'S CHEST also has risen to 6th place in all-time international releases, surpassing The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers by over $10 Million and counting.

Worldwide, POTC2 is now the #3 film of in cinema history, behind only The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King in 2nd place and Titanic at #1.

The same week POTC: DEAD MAN'S CHEST's box office plundering helped Walt Disney Pictures pass $1 billion in total earnings, confirmations are flying across the internet like cannonfire: PIRATES screenwriter Terry Rossio reportedly confirmed that the title for the third trilogy entry will indeed be PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END.

One month ago, Disney was refuting the rumored title "AT WORLD'S END", only now to have their own scribe confirm the same title without the apostrophe.  Well, that's one way to deflect early net reports of the film's title, but if the studio thought that would shake fans and sites from pursuing the answer . . . well, at least we know not ALL the rum's gone at the Burbank headquarters!

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END is scheduled to open in the U.S. on May 25th, 2007, breaking the trilogy's tradition of early July debuts in theaters and presumably to take command of next year's summer box office early.

Stay tuned for more POTC3 news from Caribbean Trading Company as we pilfer it, including the future opening of our full AT WORLDS END website!

Scuttlebutt from traders and multiple online sources are reporting that Disney is planning to release two DVD versions for PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST on December 5th.

This summer's billion-dollar blockbuster will drop anchor for home entertainment in both a single-disc basic release and a deluxe two-disc collector's edition.

Early word (rumors not yet confirmed by the studio) say to expect DVD commentary and a blooper reel on the single-disc release, with additional hours of bonus material available on the two-disc edition only.

After only seven weeks in theatrical release, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST continues breaking records and climbing up the all-time movie charts as the sixth-most successful release in history.

Continuing as the #1 film at international theaters, DEAD MAN'S CHEST has earned over $923 million worldwide, surpassing Disney's previous international record holder Finding Nemo, which earned $866.9 million around the globe.  PIRATES 2's international gross earnings now tall $522.7 million. 

Earning an additional $25.5 this weekend, DEAD MAN'S CHEST is expect to jump to become the 4th biggest film ever worldwide this week, out-earning both Star Wars: The Phantom Menace ($924.3 million) and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (926.3 million). 

Currently PIRATES 2 ranks as the 7th highest grossing film in the U.S., having earned over $401 million domestically, and will likely surpass Spider-Man ($403.7 million) by the end of the week.  The second installment in Jack Sparrow's adventures already ranks as Disney's biggest film release in the history of the studio.

Director Gore Verbinski, his cast and crew are about to re-launch production on PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 3 in August, with shooting expected to last a couple months.  All of the principal actors will return for filming, plus new cast members including Chow Yun-Fat (playing Sao Feng), to complete next summer's trilogy-capper following 2006's number one film, DEAD MAN'S CHEST.

But Disney continues to deny that PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END is the title of the third chapter, saying the actual title will be released in the next few months.  Also, the Asian-design teaser poster which appeared at Comic-Con reportedly was a quick mock-up made for the event, and not the official teaser poster for the third film.  Stay tuned as Caribbean Trading Company keeps a weather eye open on PIRATES 3 developments as they happen, leading up to its Memorial Day weekend release in 2007.

Meanwhile, DEAD MAN'S CHEST finally reliquished the top spot at the box office this past weekend, as MIAMI VICE edged out the swashbuckling sequel.  Still, PIRATES 2 earned another $20.5 million for a domestic total of over $358 million.

DEAD MAN'S CHEST continues sinking its box office competition to Davy Jones' Locker, plundering an additional $35 million and remaining the top movie for the third week in a row, where it has anchored since its July 7 release.  PIRATES 2 also surpassed $300 million in earnings faster than any film (on its 16th day in theaters), with a domestic total of $321.7 million in as of Sunday!  Jack Sparrow and crew have also commandeered international box offices, raking in an additional $214 million, for worldwide total earnings in excess of $535 million in less than three weeks!

More solid gold figures: DEAD MAN'S CHEST has already earned more than CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL did during its entire six-month run in theaters;  PIRATES 2 is only the fourth film to pass the $300M mark while the reigning number one box office attraction (with E.T., Titanic and Lord of the Rings: Return of the King); and DEAD MAN'S CHEST is now ranked 16th in all-time U.S. box office earnings . . . and climbing!   Next stop: $400 million.

Learn how Academy Award-winning composer Hans Zimmer used director Gore Verbinski's inspiration to help him create the stirring score for DEAD MAN'S CHEST.

On its second weekend in release, PIRATES 2 earned another $62.2 million, raising its total US box office earnings to $258.2 million, making it the highest grossing film of 2006 after only 10 days in theaters.

DEAD MAN'S CHEST also opened in 17 countries this weekend, and was the #1 film in all while breaking box office records in Russia, Ukraine, Finland, Singapore and Malaysia.   Abroad PIRATES 2 earned an additional $58 million this weekend, raising its International receipts to $125 million.

Jack Sparrow and crew have plundered a total $373 million worldwide since July 7th, and is expected to pass the $300 million mark in the US by next weekend.  Congratulations to Gore Verbinski, Jerry Bruckheimer and the entire PIRATES team for their solid gold success.

IN OTHER NEWS...

Watch two new TV spots heralding DEAD MAN'S CHEST as the number one film in our Video Vault.

Carribean Traders have just pilfered a new film clip of the amazing water wheel swordfight between Jack Sparrow, Norrington and Will Turner.  Watch it at our Video Vault!

Meanwhile, with PIRATES 2 clearing the decks at the box office and raking in a fortune of gold, the swashbuckling spirit of Captain Jack Sparrow and crew will continue through the summer in sea songs and pirate chanteys. While filming DEAD MAN'S CHEST, star Johnny Depp and director Gore Verbinksi decided to renew the lyrical history of buccaneers by creating an album of centuries-old pirate tunes, and having contemporary artists record them with modern attitude. The resulting disc is Rogue's Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs & Chanteys, which will be released in stores on August 22.   The two-disc set includes 43 classic tunes about scurvy sea dogs and treasure-hunting privateers who roamed the oceans in search of fame and fortune.

From the product description:

While working on the two "Pirates Of The Carribean" films, Johnny Depp and director Gore Verbinski became fascinated with the lore and fable of the pirates and sailors who ran the high seas. Enter legendary producer Hal Wilner, who brings his knack for matching maverick musicians with extraordinary material. Artists on this double disc set include Bono, Sting, Nick Cave, Bryan Ferry, Lou Reed, Richard Thompson, Lucinda Williams, Jarvis Cocker of Pulp, and many more. "Rogue's Gallery" offers a look at the hardships, the horrors, the lusts and lurid depths, and the crystal beauty that led men to the sea in ships for hundreds of years.

Pre-order info and complete track listings of the CD are available from Amazon.com at the links above.  Sing up, me hearties, yo ho!

The official box office reports for the weekend show that PIRATES of the CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST has broken the all-time record for its three-day weekend earnings with $135.6 million in ticket sales!

PIRATES easily sailed pass Spider-Man's previous three-day total of $114.8 million earned in 2002, averaging a monstrous $32,817 per theater in its 4,133 screen opening. 

Breaking another record, DEAD MAN'S CHEST became the first film ever to surpass the $100 million mark in only two days, plundering $55.5 million on Friday and $44.7 million on Saturday.  PIRATES 2 also sold a record 20 million tickets this weekend, surpassing Spider-Man's previous record by over 200,000 tickets.

According to early estimates, PIRATES of the CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST earned a record-breaking one-day total of $55 million at U.S. box offices!

Opening on 4,133 screens beginning midnight Friday, July 7th — only the third largest opening release — PIRATES still appears to have shattered the one-day total of ticket sales, previously set by 2005's Revenge of the Sith, which earned $50 million on its debut day. 

The news continues to pay off in gold for Jack Sparrow and crew: this $55 million estimate would easily surpass what THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL earned over its entire opening weekend, $46.6 million.

At this pace, DEAD MAN'S CHEST will likely surpass the $114.8 million opening weeked record, currently held by 2002's Spider-Man.  PIRATES 2's weekend total is on pace to earn approximiately $120 million.

Read Caribbean Trading Company's film review of PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST!

Plus, watch two action-packed new making-of featurettes, "Pirate Lore" and "Stunts and Swords" plus three new TV spots, all stored in the Caribbean Traders' Video Vault !

Caribbean Trading Company has just swapped a barrel of spiced rum to obtain five new film clips from PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST!

Watch Jack Sparrow meet with Bootstrap Bill Turner, bargain with Davy Jones, pay a visit to Tia Dalma's voodoo swamp as Elizabeth's search for Will continues — plus an exciting swordfight scene between Will and Norrington with Jack caught in the action!

We've just looted a new video featurette from the vaults which lets you tour the exotic Caribbean island locations and sets with the PIRATES cast and crew!  

See the amazing Bayou set built on a Burbank soundstage, and watch spectacular shots of sword fighting on the remote sun-drenched sands of tropical beaches.  Great new film clips!

Read FilmEdge's photo review of the newly enhanced Pirates Of The Caribbean attraction at Disneyland, which opened today!  

Jack Sparrow, Captain Barbossa and Davy Jones have joined Anaheim's crew of pillaging buccaneers, and plenty of surprises await you.

Take the link to view FilmEdge's photos direct from the World Premiere of PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST at Disneyland on June 24th!  

Join the premiere red carpet walk with Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, their Pirates co-stars, and a galaxy of Hollywood stars.

This summer, you can see the movie PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST, then you can live the adventure yourself on your personal game station platform!

Coming soon, Buena Vista Games releases PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST the Video Game for Sony PlayStation Portable, GameBoy Advance and Nintendo DS.  Each platform has its own game styles and formats, but in general you are Jack Sparrow, facing a number of dangerous foes and defending yourself with an arsenal of weapons including swords, pistols, knives and grenades.  Some versions support multiplayer mode in game play, too!

Check out the Official Video Game Site for all the details, and plenty of new features and previews available soon! 

Video game wallpaper design available for download at the Official Video Game site

The excellent online site devoted to film scores, Sountrack.net, now offers a track-by-track preview of Hans Zimmer's original score for PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST.  You will need the latest version of QuickTime to listen to the audio clip samples.  The Soundtrack.net crew give you their detailed analysis of the upcoming 51-minute CD release, in stores July 4th.  Here are the tracks listed in order and with full CD running time:

Jack Sparrow (6:06) The Kraken (6:55) Davy Jones (3:15) I've Got My Eye on You (2:25) Dinner is Served (1:30 Tia Dalma (3:57) Two Hornpipes [Tortuga] (1:14) A Family Affair (3:34) Wheel of Fortune (6:45) You Look Good Jack (5:34) Hello Beastie (10:15) He's A Pirate [Tiesto Remix - Bonus Track] (7:02)

Sail over to Sountrack.net to hear and read more about Hans Zimmer's exciting new score.

According to the recent article in the Los Angeles Times, the buccaneers of Anaheim are back to chasing skirts, not supper.  Times writer Kimi Yoshino reports on the film-inspired additions to the classic Pirates of the Caribbean attraction plus one welcome return to tradition.

Most fans have already heard about Jack Sparrow, Captain Barbossa and Davy Jones joining the crew of New Orleans Square's animatronic adventure.  In a pleasant surprise, today's article now confirms that Disney Imagineers have also restored a fan-favorite moment back to its original pillaging intent: the Bride Chase scene.  Our Orange County swashbucklers will resume running after their shy wenches instead of appetizers, as the scene was politically corrected to show back in 1997 and much to the displeasure of Disneyland purists.  The Times reports "that theme is being ditched to 'make the story consistent,' [Disney Imagineer Kathy] Rogers said, which means that the pirates will go back to their pillaging, misbehaving ways."

Good news for Disneyland regulars who have eyed the company's alterations of the ride with great suspicion, after the intrusion of the Gluttony scene's debilitating effect on the ride's story line.  This move may smooth the feathers ruffled by additions of the film story into the attraction, which may turn out to be positive enhancements to the ride after all. 

Keep a weather eye open for Jack Sparrow lurking in the auction scene, as Barbossa and the other pirates chase him through the story line to obtain the hidden treasure.  Expect the Black Pearl cannon battle to be a bit more furious and realistic in its effects, as Barbossa fires upon the city's defensive fort.  Plus those who explore the murky depths of the caverns might encounter the curse of Davy Jones himself.

Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean attraction will reopen on June 26th, reportedly with no soft opening previews to guests or park cast members, once the crew from this weekend's world premiere of PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST sets sail out of New Orleans Square harbor. 

The Caribbean Trading Company and FilmEdge.net will provide a full report on the attraction's re-opening soon!

Set yer course for your Images page to see six new photos from PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST, presented in a new Flash slide show presentation for improved image quality.

You'll find the entire crew of the Black Pearl on deck: Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley), James Norrington (Jack Davenport), Ragetti (Mackenzie Crook) and 'Bootstrap' Bill Turner (Stellan Skarsgard) himself!

Use the control panel to jump to your favorite photo or pause at any time.  Caribbean Traders will update our holds with new swag as soon as we pillage it!

If you've signed aboard to play the Volvo Hunt to win a special edition Volvo XC90 inspired by PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST, you already know this web-based treasure hunt is quite fun, challenging and addicting to play!

The game began on June 12th, so if you're just joining in the Hunt, you'll have a few days worth of clues and puzzles to solve before you catch up with current progress in the adventure.

While picking up my treasure map and secret pirate code at my local Volvo dealer, I saw a promotional replica of the XC90 vehicle on display: it's a luxurious vehicle loaded with a treasure trove of options and extras, and a worth treasure to dig for as you travel the Seven Seas in search of its hiding place.

There's still plenty of time to join and seek the PIRATES Grand Prize Volvo XC90! Visit the Volvo Hunt website for details.

Automaker Volvo has teamed up with Disney to send fans on a treasure hunt for buried treasure — aye, indeed Volvo has actually buried a brand new Volvo XC90 somewhere in the world and you can find it!

The online treasure hunt game began Monday, June 12th and players can join the hunt as late as July 11th.  Visit your local Volvo dealer to receive your own treasure map with a secret pirate code that gets you started.  Then solve daily puzzles and clues emailed to you in order to decipher the map and find the hidden buried treasure: a special edition Volvo XC90 inspired by PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST!

So grab yer map, mateys, and get diggin' for buried treasure today! Visit the Volvo Hunt website for details.

PIRATES PREMIERES IN JUNE...

Several online reports including Mouse Planet confirm that Disneyland will host the world premiere of PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST on Saturday, June 24th in an, invitation-only screening event for cast, crew, celebrities and special guests.  The premiere is expected to coincide with the re-launching of the enhanced Pirates of the Caribbean attraction in New Orleans Square, now including figures of Captain Jack Sparrow, Barbossa and Davy Jones from the film series.

While not impossible, it seems unlikely that the park will sneak preview the newly enhanced ride in soft openings for the public prior to the 24th, since the attraction unveiling is tied directly into the premiere event.  But ALL ride and attraction availability is always subject to change in Disneyland, so keep a sharp weather eye open in case a soft opening lets a few lucky park guests sneak through the doors.  The Pirates ride might open its harbor to swashbuckling guests as early as June 25th, or some unannounced date between then and the ride's re-opening timed to PIRATES theatrical release on July 7th.

PIECE OF EIGHT BEGINS TRADING...

One new attraction in New Orleans Square that may open before the premiere (if it hasn't already opened this weekend) is the redesigned Pieces of Eight shop, located at the exit of the Pirates attraction.  Now redressed and thematically distressed to resemble the Captain's Quarters in the ride, a chamber featured time-weathered beams and woodwork to more closely match the rough and rugged attraction interior and fully exploit the buccaneer theme.  Expect a treasure trove of trinkets, valuables and merchandise piled high for guests to plunder, even from a resized replica of the Captain's canopy bed as a wall bay of pirate bounty.

FEASTS FIT FOR A PIRATE KING...

Along with additions to the Pirates attraction, New Orleans Square's eateries are also getting a bounty of upgrades this summer.  Cafe Orleans reopens this month as a table service restaurant, featuring a bistro-style menu.  But stealing the show (and yer doubloons) will be the new, upgraded menu served under the Caribbean twilight in the Blue Bayou.  The inevitable price increases have raised a few eyebrows among fans of this favorite restaurant, but only its premiere-tie-in re-opening and an actual sampling of the new fare will tell if devotees embrace the changes as the continuation of Blue Bayou's excellent track record.

There is a sea of rumors about POTC3 rolling along, but one golden nugget of apparent fact has been dug up by Hollywood.com: it looks like Rolling Stone rocker Keith Richards will indeed appear in the third PIRATES film as the father of Captain Jack Sparrow.

Richards, who has been given a clean bill of health to go on tour with the Stones across Europe, will spend some time sailing the Caribbean with star Johnny Depp as PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: WORLD'S END (the reported title) sets course to arrive in theaters in May 2007.

Take the link to read the full report at Hollywood.com.

The complete Flash website for PIRATES of the CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST sailed out on internet seas to offer fans in-depth info on the film, cast and crew this week. 

A bounty of production stills, behind-the-scenes photos and concept drawing await plundering by swashbuckling art lovers and movie fans.

The sites holds are burstin' with downloadable goods, including a wide variety of wallpaper art, buddy icons, plus the teaser and final one-sheet poster for PIRATES.

Ye can pilfer and pillage all these riches while touring the entire Caribbean, starting on-deck with Captain Jack Sparrow and the crew of the Black Pearl.  But keep a weather eye open, for there be hidden swag and clue ye need to collect.   Find all the items, pass Davy Jones' test and ye can unlock the lost treasures contained in the Dead Man's Chest!

Weigh anchor and set yer course for the Official PIRATES of the CARIBBEAN website, but return often to visit yer mates here at the Caribbean Trading Company!  Cargo haulers, traders and plunderin' pirates bring new riches to our port on every tide.