• Bloomberg, Wednesday, July 5, 2006 11:02 AM

Movie studios are looking to "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" and smaller films to stay ahead of last year's summer box-office slump, Bloomberg reports. The Disney Co. movie--set to open July 7--and potential sleeper hits such as "Snakes on a Plane" are more important to the industry now, as Time Warner's "Superman Returns" failed to meet analysts' average forecast of $100 million or more in sales for its five-day debut. Summer sales at U.S. and Canadian theaters were up about 2 percent through June 25, thanks to higher ticket prices and hits like "X-Men: The Last Stand" and "The Da Vinci Code." But a strong opening for "Pirates" will set the tone for the second half of the May-to-September season. "We are off to a good start," says Walt Disney Studios Chairman Dick Cook. "What will really be the telling tale is if we can continue that momentum." News Corp.'s "X-Men" is the biggest grosser of the year thus far, with $226.5 million in sales at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Box Office Mojo LLC. "The Da Vinci Code," distributed by Sony, is second at $207.5 million.

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