This weekend was the Memorial Day holiday in the US, which means the box office figures for Monday are usually taken into account in studio estimates. But any way you slice it, Pirates Of The Caribbean: Salazar's Revenge (AKA Dead Men Tell No Tales in the States) firmly made Baywatch walk the plank.
The latest outing for Captain Jack and the rest didn't enjoy great reviews, and opened lower than any of its predecessors since the original (which was more of a surprise hit that showed sea legs). With $62.6 million for the four days and $208 million elsewhere, the movie essentially opened to $285 million globally, which seems like a hefty start, but when you consider a pricey $230 million budget and lots more on advertising etc, it has a ways to go before it can stand beside its franchise fellows.
And after the clash of water-based films, Baywatch couldn't even make it to a second place finish, placing third behind Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2, which earned $20.6 million. The a-holes have now earned more both domestically and internationally than the first film, and the sequel is riding high with $788.5 million worldwide. As for Baywatch, even The Rock's muscly charisma couldn't overcome some terrible critical reactions and the new comedy opened to $23.5 million when you include the days it played before the weekend, with a global take currently hovering in the $28.6 million. Producers in recent days have been talking up the possibility of a sequel, but we'll see if there's enough interest once the final figures come in.
Alien: Covenant was pushed to fourth with $10.5 million, while Everything, Everything slipped to fifth on $6 million.
Holding in sixth place, Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul added $4.4 million, and Snatched fell to seventh on $3.8 million. King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword dropped to eighth, earning $3.2 million. The Boss Baby made $1.7 million in ninth, just ahead of Beauty And The Beast at 10th, with the live-action Disney movie pushing past the $500 million mark at the American box office (though it has long since crossed a billion worldwide).