'Pirates 5' Projected to Crush 'Baywatch' At Weekend Box Office

The Memorial Day Weekend Holiday will bring movie fans two big releases: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales and Baywatch. Both films are led by major stars (Johnny Depp, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, and Zac Efron), though one is the fifth installment in an epic adventure series - while the other is a new take on an old TV series, known for featuring pretty people running slow-motion down a beach.

The two films are expected to bring in a combined hefty box office total over the holiday weekend - but early reports are that there will be a big difference in what each respective movie makes.

According to Variety, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales will bringing in $75 million domestically over the weekend; Baywatch, meanwhile, is expected to struggle to get to $30 million in its opening weekend.

Both projections are below what the studios initially estimated (Pirates was projected for $80 million, and Baywatch for $32 - 40 million). However, Pirates has generally received better word of mouth from both critics and audiences, and the worldwide appeal of the film is much wider, and thoroughly established. It also doesn't hurt that Pirates has a more inclusive PG-13 rating, while Baywatch is a Hard-R for its raunchy humor.

In the end, it looks like Depp and his Pirates franchise will sail away with a clear and thorough victory.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales and Baywatch are now both in theaters. Be sure to check out our Popculture.com official reviews, below!

Baywatch Review

Pirates of the Caribbean 5 Review