Box Office: ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ sets sail with $40 million worldwide

Johnny Depp's "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales" set sail with $40 million worldwide during its first two days in theaters, with first-place openings in every market.

The $40 million figure does not include Friday's earnings from China, where Disney is estimating a first-day total of $20 million.

The sequel grossed $5.5 million from Thursday night previews in the U.S., expanding to 4,276 locations on Friday. "Dead Men Tell No Tales" also generated the best 2017 first-day earnings in Germany, Austria, France, Finland, Sweden, Belgium, Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia.

It opened Thursday in Germany with a 60% market share on its Ascension Day holiday. "Pirates" saw a 59% market share in the U.K. The film earned $4 million on its opening day in Russia, the fifth-highest first day for any movie. The pic earned $3.6 million in Germany and $900,000 in the U.K. in the wake of the terror attack in Manchester.

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The movie launched on Wednesday in France with $2.3 million, the second-biggest opening day of 2017 to date behind only "Fate of the Furious."

The fifth "Pirates of the Caribbean" — the first since 2011 — is expected to dominate Memorial Day moviegoing in the U.S. with forecasts in the $80 million range. The international "Dead Men Tell No Tales" debut should deliver between $150 million and $175 million.

The four previous "Pirates" movies have grossed $1.28 billion domestically and $2.45 billion internationally, with the North American market representing a smaller share with each new film.

"Dead Men Tell No Tales" centers on Depp's Jack Sparrow battling deadly ghost sailors, led by the Javier Bardem's Captain Salazar. Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg are directing "Dead Men Tell No Tales," with Jerry Bruckheimer producing.

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