Johnny Depp is the star behind the success of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, and his overall salary for the first five films clearly reflects this. Captain Jack Sparrow is why many audiences showed up at the theaters, so Disney has the man who portrayed the character to thank for the franchise’s box office success. Of course, since Depp was excused from Pirates of the Caribbean 6 before his defamation trial win in 2022, it’s unclear whether the character will appear in any more Pirates of the Caribbean installments. Still, Depp already made a killing off the series.

When rumors of the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie first hit the airwaves, no one could have guessed about the massively successful franchise it would become. There was something about Depp’s character that struck the right chord with audiences, and Jack Sparrow became a beloved icon nearly overnight. Now, decades later, the future of the Pirates franchise is in question, with the very existence of Pirates of the Caribbean 6 proving controversial. Regardless of how this next installment turns out, Depp has already made quite a living off the franchise—even famously stating that he was paid too much.

Johnny Depp Has Made $265 Million For 5 Pirates Of The Caribbean Movies

Depp is often regarded as one of Hollywood’s best-paid actors. During the actor’s lawsuit against his former financial management team, The Management Group, it was revealed that he had made around $650 million throughout his career as a major actor, with projects like the Edward Scissor Hands, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Alice in Wonderland making up a substantial part of this bill. Still, it was the Pirates of the Caribbean movies that really raked in the cash for Depp, with a combined salary of nearly $300 million (via Celebrity Net Worth).

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of The Black Pearl – $10 million
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest – $60 million
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End – $50 million
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides – $55 million
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales – $90 million

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl paid Depp a salary that reflected his previous work and A-list status, but it was nothing out of the ordinary. Even the immediate sequel, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest paid the actor within the average for leading roles, with a base pay of $20 million—the remaining $40 million he made on this film was earned on the backend. It wasn’t until Pirates of the Caribbean: On At World’s End that Depp’s salary became astronomical, and the actor reportedly claimed that these heavy paychecks were too much (via Vanity Fair).

How Much The Pirates Of The Caribbean Movies Have Made At The Box Office

Of course, Disney wasn’t giving Depp these hefty paychecks for no reason. The Pirates of the Caribbean movies have grossed over $4.5 billion worldwide (via Box Office Mojo). The highest-grossing installment of the franchise is Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, which brought in $1.07 billion gross at the global box office. This explains why Disney was willing to up the budget for the next film, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, though the movie came in a little under the Billion Dollar Club at $967 million.

Surprisingly, despite the poor audience and critic reception of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, the movie takes the franchise’s second place spot at $1.05 billion gross. Even Pirates of the Caribbean wasn’t too far out of the realm of the franchise’s typical box office numbers ($795 million)—though this did seem to indicate a downward trend. With these figures and the controversy surrounding the franchise and casting, it’s difficult to say how Pirates of the Caribbean 6 will perform—especially without Depp as the ever-winning Captain Jack Sparrow.