USA NETWORK ACQUIRES RIGHTS FROM DISNEY-ABC DOMESTIC TELEVISION TO #1 MOVIE IN THE WORLD, WALT DISNEY PICTURES' "PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END"
Premieres September 2009
NEW YORK � June 1, 2007 � USA Network has acquired the cable television rights from Disney-ABC Domestic Television to the record-breaking #1 movie at the global box office, Walt Disney Pictures' PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END. Taking in more than $404 million worldwide in its opening weekend, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END scaled new heights at the box office with an unprecedented 29,000-screen release. The announcement was made today by Jane Blaney, USA's senior vice president, programming.
Under the agreement, USA has the network window premiere beginning in September 2009.
"This acquisition completes USA's ownership of rights to the 'Pirates' trilogy, and we couldn't be more thrilled," said Blaney. "It's one of the most popular franchises in film history and our viewers have made it clear that it's a favorite of theirs."
The 2006 premiere of "Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl" was the biggest theatrical movie in USA's history and the highest-rated movie in five years in the P25-54 demo. The premiere and its subsequent three primetime runs have established "Pirates" as the top movie on cable since its debut on USA.
Last year, USA announced acquisition of "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," the record-shattering second film in the series.
Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley and Geoffrey Rush reunite in the film from Walt Disney Pictures' in association with Jerry Bruckheimer Films. PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END picks up where the record-breaking 2006 smash hit left off, with our heroes Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) allied with Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) in a desperate quest to free Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) from his mind-bending trap in Davy Jones' locker. With the terrifying ghost ship, The Flying Dutchman, and its commander Davy Jones under the control of the East India Trading Company, there is havoc on the Seven Seas. Navigating through treachery, betrayal and wild waters, the heroic trio must forge their way to exotic Singapore and confront the cunning Pirate Sao Feng (Chow Yun-Fat). Now headed beyond the very ends of the earth, each must ultimately choose a side in a final titanic battle � as not only their lives and fortunes, but the entire future of the freedom-loving Pirate way hangs in the balance. The film was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Gore Verbinski from a screenplay written by Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio.
About Disney-ABC Domestic Television
Disney-ABC Domestic Television is the domestic distribution arm of The Walt Disney Company, providing motion pictures and television programming to pay cable, basic cable, video-on-demand (VOD), pay-per-view (PPV), mobile, broadband and broadcast television. Disney-ABC Domestic Television is a wholly owned subsidiary of Disney Enterprises, Inc
About USA Network
USA NETWORK is cable television's leading provider of original series and feature movies, sports and entertainment events, off-net television shows, and blockbuster theatrical films. The #1 basic cable network across the board in 2006, USA Network is seen in 90 million U.S. homes. The USA Network Web site is located at www.usanetwork.com. Characters Welcome.
USA Network is a program service of NBC Universal Cable a division of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience.
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