A poster of "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End"

   BEIJING, May 29 (Xinhuanet) -- A fourth installment of "Shrek" is scheduled to debut in 2010, another ""Spider-Man" sequel is in the works, "Pirates of the Caribbean" is currently smashing worldwide box office records, so what about another dose of "swishbuckling" Jack Sparrow?

    Producer Jerry Bruckheimer is coy, saying he and his mates need a break. But he already has rights to a book that could end up as another installment.

    And Johnny Depp hasn't vowed another voyage, but also hasn't said no to playing a character he relishes, telling one interviewer: "As long as you're doing it for the right reasons, why not?"

    "When these franchises become part of the world's culture, they take on a life of their own," said Dick Cook, Disney's studio chairman, who says he's on board for another "Pirates" if the script is right and the filmmakers are willing.

    Though Bruckheimer and Disney executives say the "Pirates" trilogy has concluded, they imply the series could continue through a spinoff or prequel. In an interview with an Australian film website, screenwriter Terry Rossio said he and partner Ted Elliott would take a crack at another "Pirates" script and see if they could make it work.

    In Southern California, moviegoers interviewed were divided on the prospect of a fourth "Pirates" after watching the latest chapter, which clocked in at nearly three hours.

    Elizabeth Lopez, 24, of Long Beach, suspected the latest "Pirates" might disappoint as the third film in the series.

    "But it actually was very good," she said. "Yes, I'm hoping they make another one because of the way it ended."

    But Richard Kirk, 69, of Bellflower, has seen enough.

    "It just gets rather complicated, especially the first part of it," he said. "I really think they should leave it at three."

    (Agencies)

    "Pirates" sure bet to break 4-day holiday record

    BEIJING, May 28 (Xinhuanet) -- "Spider-Man 3" still holds the three-day box office record of 151 million U.S. dollars, but "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" appears a sure bet to establish a new mark for a four-day holiday opening.

    "Pirates" should easily break the industry's holiday weekend box-office record of 122.9 million dollars established Memorial Day weekend of last year by "X-Men 3: The Last Stand" and, according to Disney, should also achieve the largest global opening ever.

    "Pirates 3" fails to set new opening box office mark

    LOS ANGELES, May 27 (Xinhua) -- The latest film of Walt Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise failed to set new opening box office record in North America this weekend, largely due to the lingering popularity of superhero Spider-Man and a computer-generated green ogre named Shrek among moviegoers.

    But "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" still sold an estimated 126.5 million dollars worth of tickets in the United States and Canada during the three-day period, well on its way to setting a new domestic Memorial Day weekend box office record, distributer Walt Disney Pictures said Sunday.

    Lengthy "Pirates" leaves viewers at wit's end

   BEIJING, May 24 (Xinhuanet) -- The critics will criticize it for being too long (almost three hours) and frivilous, but the fans will come when "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" opens Thursday in theaters across America.

    The movie begins with Elizabeth (Keira Knightley), Will (Orlando Bloom) and Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) arriving in Singapore to recruit and introduce the episode's major new character, Chinese pirate Sao Feng (Chow Yun-Fat), to aid in their fight against the evil Lord Beckett (Tom Hollander).