'Pirates' Grosses $58 Million in Limited Release

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LOS ANGELES - Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, the third film in the Walt Disney Co.'s multibillion-dollar franchise, took in $58 million at worldwide box offices in limited showings before its wider record-breaking release on Friday, Disney said.

The film, starring Johnny Depp as the woozy pirate Captain Jack Sparrow, nearly sold out late-night showings at U.S. cinemas on Thursday night for a total of $17 million.

Overseas, Wednesday and Thursday night showings scored $41.1 million, Disney said.

The film was released in 52 countries and territories in addition to the United States and that release widened to 102 countries on Friday.

At World's End will be opening in a record 4,362 North American theatres, about 110 more than Spider-Man 3 and about 200 more than DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc.'s Shrek the Third, which set an opening-weekend record last week for an animated film at $122 million. The figures come from Media by Numbers, a box office tracking firm.

Mark Zoradi, president of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures marketing and Distribution, said U.S. exit surveys "gave the film among the highest numbers in Disney's history and placed it well above comparable scores" for the first two Pirates films.