The wily Captain Jack Sparrow schemed his way across screens at the Galleria Cinemas for his second and highly anticipated misadventure on the high seas, to the delight of movie-goers and guests of the Ministry of Tourism (MOT) and the Conde Nast traveller's at the Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest screening on Friday night.
Where there were watery, toe-squeezing adventure, ghoulish thrills, a tinge of romance and many well-placed laughs, there were also sparkling topaz waters caressed by generous swaths of creamy sand. The sky was window-pane clear and the clouds pop-corn puffed to enviable perfection. The take-me-there vistas of The Bahamas rolled out before thousands of viewers like a red carpet on the over 4,133 screens that the movie was displayed during opening night.
The Chicago Sun Times, which also reported that Disney received news of repeated sell-outs of the film and requests for it to be shown on more screens, stated that only Shrek 2 (2004) and Spider Man 2 (2004) debuted on more screens.
Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley join the Academy Award nominee Johnny Depp as the film's stars. Dead Man's Chest was directed by Gore Verbinski and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer.
The buccaneer flick, whose prequel was actually originally based on a ride at Disney's theme park, crowned the Box Office Top five over the weekend, grossing over $132 million – the highest three day gross ever. The movie, which flashed across screens from as early as midnight on its July 7 debut, snagged $85.5 million on opening day – the highest single day gross ever. The third instalment of the series is set for a May 2007 release.
MOT Film Commissioner, Craig Woods, who called the film "outstanding" after the opening night screening, traced the hugely successful films, over 160-day long production in the country, back to a single phone call. When Woods learned that Disney would be making a part two and three to 2003's Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, which grossed over $650 million world-wide, he set out in hot pursuit of the entertainment titan. His phone calls, which later snowballed into a blizzard of e-mails, began in February 2004. "They were polite," remembered Woods of his persistence. Yet worried that his hounding was irritating the studio, Woods sought the advice of Cedric Scott, a Bahamian producer living in California. "Call them every day," Scott had advised. "The hour you stop calling them, you will lose them."
By May 2005, Disney had begun shooting Pirates two and three in The Bahamas. Filming was done on White Cay, Exuma and in Grand Bahama. The company shot the movies' underwater scenes in the open water tank at Gold Rock Studios on the eastern end of Grand Bahama. Filming for both movies wrapped up in March 2006.
In addition to the revenue generated by the crew alone through hotel room rentals, Woods elaborated on the almost limitless impact a film of Pirates' magnitude can have on the domestic tourism industry. "People come to a location because a movie was shot there," said Woods, who was lured to New Zealand after the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy had piqued his interest in the country. "We have wonderful water-scapes, wonderful shorelines, great marine life – some of the best in the world," he said. "If you need to shoot great clear waters and wonderful beaches, we can provide that and compete with the best in the world. That's why God blessed us with these wonderful resources."
Woods, who pointed out that the country initially competed with other countries in the Caribbean and Asia for the movies to be filmed on its shores, said that the same factors that give The Bahamas an advantage in tourism, give it an advantage as a film-making locale. Woods listed the country's proximity to the United States, and by extension Hollywood, and the fact that its dollar is on par with the US dollar, as two of such advantages. The film commissioner expressed that the government and MOT's interest in supporting and developing the endeavour in the country, was an added plus to its continued success.
MOT has already become marketing partners with Disney and a number of other big name retailers, service providers and even periodicals, like Conde Nast. These marketing partnerships that help to promote the country, by invoking its authentic pirate history and aligning it with the mystique of the Pirates of the Caribbean films, have also included partnerships with local resorts. Film-making in the country, which dates as far back as 1914's "Thirteen Leagues Under the Sea," now coasts on the crest of a promising wave. Eight movies have been filmed on our shores in the past three years. The fifth James Bond Movie to be filmed in The Bahamas, "Casino Royale," just wrapped up, Woods reported. Other films shot in The Bahamas over the past three years include "After the Sunset," "Into the Blue," "Three," "Open Water" and "Eye of the Dolphin."
In addition to the number of Bahamians who played extras in the films, two of these movies, said Woods, included speaking roles for locals. The film commissioner is passionate about Bahamians becoming well trained and positioned for success in the budding film industry. Practice, he said, is necessary for skills that don't come easily. "It's like any craft," said Woods. "The more you do it, the better you become at it."
The film commissioner sees a viable future for film-making in The Bahamas. At present, commercials are the country's strongest point in the industry, but the commission has already made inroads into the television special arena. Portions of an NBC special were recently shot in Paradise Island and Nassau. Woods said that the commission wants to have four films shot in the country each year, though he knows that limited crews make this ideal quite an ambitious one.
Someday the film commissioner wants to see international television networks and corporations air Bahamian-made programmes. "There's no reason why not," said Woods of such a prospect. "The talent is here, we just need the ongoing training and development. The industry is in it's infancy." But, the commissioner points out triumphantly, "most infants don't get to ride in a Rolls Royce. Our Rolls Royce was Pirates."
The Nassau Guardian
