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Credit: Inside the MagicThe Walt Disney Company’s effort to recreate the success of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise has bombed, with reports now claiming it’s one and done for the House of Mouse.
The Pirates of the Caribbean series is one of The Walt Disney Company’s most lucrative and celebrated franchises. Consisting of five feature films, it is the 15th highest-grossing franchise in history and has legions of fans all over the world.
Thanks to Johnny Depp’s portrayal of the charming yet rogueish Captain Jack Sparrow, the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise has cemented itself into the pop culture canon in a big way, with Depp’s character being lauded as one of the most iconic of all time.
Joined by the likes of Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley as Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann, respectively, Depp anchored the Pirates movies across 14 years of releases. The first movie, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), was followed by Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006), Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007), Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011), and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017).
Dead Men Tell No Tales would be the end of the road for Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow after the actor became locked in litigation with his ex-wife, Amber Heard (Aquaman).
The pair, who met on the set of The Rum Diary (2011), were married in 2015 and divorced by 2017, with Heard filing for separation in 2016 and placing a restraining order on Depp at the same time, citing physical and verbal abuse. What followed was a neverending series of trials, appeals, and lawsuits centering on domestic abuse and violence allegations.
From the libel trial in London, where Justice Andrew Nicol sided with The Sun and News Group Newspapers LTD over the publication’s use of the term “wide-beater” to describe Depp, to the six-week defamation lawsuit in Fairfax County, Virginia, where the jury — presided over by Judge Penney Azcarate — found Heard had defamed her ex-husband on three counts, the pair have been in the spotlight throughout the last five to six years.
Related: Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow Infiltrates Disney’s World of Animation With Surprising Reveal
The legal battles between Depp and Heard have left the former cast out of his role as Gellert Grindelwald, the dark wizard in J.K. Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts franchise, but more concerning to fans of the Pirates franchise, from his role as Captain Jack Sparrow.
Following Depp’s comments that he would not return to Disney for $300 million, there have now been whispers from both producer Jerry Bruckheimer and Depp himself over potentially returning for Pirates of the Caribbean 6. Last year, news swirled of Margot Robbie replacing Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow, although the Barbie (2023) actress claimed talks were over.
So with the Pirates series currently on pause (Bruckheimer has said work is happening on the screenplay), Disney was seemingly hoping to launch another huge franchise with a movie based on a Disney Park attraction.
Haunted Mansion (2023) debuted last month and was hit with a barrage of mixed reviews. Featuring a huge ensemble cast, including Rosario Dawson as Gabbie, LaKeith Stanfield as Ben Matthias, Owen Wilson as Father Kent, Tiffany Haddish as Harriet, Danny DeVito as Bruce Davis, Jamie Lee Curtis as Madame Leota, and Jared Leto as Alistair Crump, AKA the Hatbox Ghost, the Justin Simien-directed movie has only grossed $43 million so far. Although it still has a number of international territories to release in, including the United Kingdom, and as fans saw of the Pixar tentpole, Elemental (2023), there is still a chance for it to recoup.
But that early box office performance has seemingly caused Disney to put the brakes on exploding Haunted Mansion into a Pirates-level franchise. Per reports, Disney has canceled any sequels to Haunted Mansion.
“There were really high hopes for Haunted Mansion, and Disney put loads of money into it. But the release has been massively overshadowed by other movies, such as Barbie, and the figures are really disappointing,” says the report. “It is based on the Disneyland ride, and bosses wanted it to be a major new franchise, just like the Pirates Of The Caribbean films, which also originated from a ride. This one just hasn’t worked, though, and as things stand, all ideas and plans for a sequel or spin-off have been shelved.”
The Walt Disney Company has not confirmed this report.
Related: Disney’s ‘Haunted Mansion’ Needs Hundreds of Millions to Avoid ‘Indiana Jones’ Flop
Many fans wondered why Disney would opt to release the spooky comedy-horror in the height of summer when a Halloween release would not only be more coordinated but would also remove it from going up against powerhouses like Barbie and Oppenheimer (2023).
Current rumors point to Haunted Mansion hitting Disney+ in October.
Do you think Haunted Mansion could have spawned a franchise similar to Pirates of the Caribbean? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!