I distinctly remember the marketing for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End not ramping up until a few months before release back in 2007. Similarly four years on, Disney have done very little to promote the May 18th (UK) and May 20th (U.S.) opening of
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides so far. Of course, they don't need to do much. Even two months before release, all that's required of Disney is to slap
Johnny Depp in Jack Sparrow get-up on a poster and they don't even need a title. Or Penelope Cruz, or Geoffrey Rush, or Ian McShane, or anything resembling anything new. Can you think of a summer blockbuster in the history of cinema that has avoided promoting a love interest as well known as
Penelope Cruz in their poster campaign for a $200 million blockbuster this close to release? I doubt it. They could open Pirates of the Caribbean on Friday with one ad in newspapers and on the t.v. - and it would be the highest grossing opening weekend of the year.