10 Movies You Were Totally Wrong About

It might sound ridiculous now, but if you're old enough to remember the buzz - or lack thereof - surrounding the release of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, you'll also recall the collective surprise at just how pervasively successful it was.

Any movie based on a theme park ride is always going to get its fair share of eyerolls from the general public, and nothing says creative bankruptcy quite like Disney making a film loosely based on one of their own attractions.

It didn't help that most of Disney's top brass didn't have much confidence in it either, and as Pirates' release date approached, it seemed like the film was destined to be a Waterworld-tier critical and commercial disaster.

But Pirates was ultimately warmly embraced by critics and audiences alike, scoring 80% on Rotten Tomatoes, grossing $654.3 million worldwide, and even netting Johnny Depp a Best Actor Oscar nomination, while also scoring four other nods in technical categories.

It was an unfathomable result even mere weeks from the film's release, and led to a five-film franchise of movies that have collectively grossed over $4.5 billion, albeit amid wildly mixed reviews.