Will Americans Sail With Pirates to the World's End?

GALLUP NEWS SERVICE

PRINCETON, NJ -- The summer movie blockbuster season is officially upon us, with Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End hitting movie screens across the country this Memorial Day weekend, although Hollywood movie executives seem to be pushing up the summer movie season this year by releasing hits like Spider-Man 3 and Shrek the Third prior to the holiday weekend.

A recent USA Today/Gallup poll finds that roughly one in four Americans plan to see At World's End in a movie theater -- about the same percentage that reported seeing the first two films in the Pirates series in theaters. Nearly 6 in 10 Americans plan to see the film at some point in the future, whether in theaters, on DVD, or on television. Not surprisingly, frequent moviegoers are most enthusiastic about seeing the new film in theaters. Parents of younger children are more likely than non-parents to see the film in theaters, as are younger, rather than older, Americans.

Americans' Plans to See At World's End

The May 4-6, 2007 poll asked Americans about their plans to see the third movie in the Pirates of the Caribbean series. The majority of Americans say they plan to see At World's End at some point, with 25% planning to watch it in theaters, 23% on DVD, and 11% on television. Thirty-eight percent of Americans do not plan to see it all.

Roughly similar percentages of Americans plan to see the third Pirates film in theaters as said they saw the first two in theaters -- 25% of Americans plan to see the third film in theaters, while 27% say they saw the first film and 22% saw the second film in theaters. Overall, Americans express a higher interest in seeing the third movie than said they actually saw the first two movies in the series (whether in a movie theater, on DVD, or on television).

Frequent moviegoers, parents of younger children, and young adults are most enthusiastic about going to the movies to see the latest Pirates film.

• Frequent moviegoers -- those who have seen at least five movies in a theater in the past year -- are the most likely group of people to say they plan to see the film in theaters, with 57% saying they plan to see the film in theaters. This compares with 23% of those who have seen one to four movies in the theaters, and 3% of those who haven't seen any movies. Among all moviegoers, 37% plan to see the film in theaters.

• One in three parents of children under the age of 18 (33%) plan to see the new movie in theaters -- this is compared to only 21% of adults without children in this age range.

• Thirty-six percent of adults aged 18 to 34 plan to see At World's End in a movie theater; this is higher than the 31% of 35- to 54-year-olds and the 10% of those aged 55 and older. This age difference is related to the fact that older Americans are significantly less likely to go to the movies more generally.

How Many Americans Watched the First Two Pirates Movies?

Many critics and fans were disappointed in the Pirates sequel, Dead Man's Chest, mainly due to what critics said was the film's poor plot and lack of humor. This may explain why Americans are more likely to recall seeing the first movie, The Curse of the Black Pearl, rather than Dead Man's Chest, and also why Americans like the first movie better.

More than half of Americans, 55%, say they have seen the first movie in the Pirates series, including 27% who saw it in theaters, 23% who watched it on DVD, and 5% who waited to see it on television. Forty-four percent of Americans say they have not seen the movie.

Have you, personally, seen the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie, called The Curse of the Black Pearl , or not? (Asked of adults who say they have seen the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie) Did you see it for the first time in a movie theater, on DVD, or on a television network broadcast?

COMBINED RESPONSES: BASED ON FULL SAMPLE

Roughly 4 in 10 Americans (41%) report seeing the second movie in the franchise, Dead Man's Chest, with 22% of Americans watching it in theaters, 17% on DVD, and 2% on television. Fifty-nine percent of Americans say they have not seen this film.

Have you, personally, seen the second Pirates of the Caribbean movie, called Dead Man's Chest, or not? (Asked of adults who say they have seen the second Pirates of the Caribbean movie) Did you see it for the first time in a movie theater, on DVD, or on a television network broadcast?

COMBINED RESPONSES: BASED ON FULL SAMPLE

And, while history has yet to judge where At World's End will stand in relation with its predecessors, Americans who saw the first two films are nearly twice as likely to say the first film was better than its sequel, with 63% preferring The Curse of the Black Pearl and 33% Dead Man's Chest.

Survey Methods

Results are based on telephone interviews with 1,010 national adults, aged 18 and older, conducted May 4-6, 2007. For results based on the total sample of national adults, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is ±3 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.