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The Pirates of the Caribbean sequel shattered every box-office opening record this week — making it likelier Disney will find the doubloons needed to extend the series from three movies to at least four.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, which stars Johnny Depp as the off-center Captain Jack Sparrow, earned $132 million in its first three days. That's leagues ahead of previous champ Spider-Man, which spun $114.8 million on its opening weekend in 2002.

The tongue-in-cheek action comedy also set a single-day record of $55.5 million Friday and became the first film to reach $100 million in two days — triggering a rousing yo-ho-ho in Hollywood.

"This settles the argument over whether Americans still want the movie theatre experience," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of the trade organization Exhibitor Relations.

Dead Man's Chest is a sequel to the original 2003 Pirates, a $305 million blockbuster that arrived with only modest expectations because it was inspired by a Disney theme park ride and its star, Depp, was better known for quirky roles.

Filming for the third Pirates, which will feature a cameo by Rolling Stone Keith Richards as Jack Sparrow's father, is underway now. Disney had previously said a fourth installment would be unlikely but Dergarabedian said he expects this weekend's success may change that.[[In-content Ad]]

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