What makes Pirates of the Caribbean a blockbuster?

Pirates of the Caribbean is a fantasy action-adventure film series with its first release in 2003.
The franchise is renowned for its iconic characters, which changed the perception of pirates with its stylized fictional looks set in a world of wonders. There are numerous blockbuster franchises, but something about Pirates of the Caribbean needs to be told as it immensely impacted the world of pirates and stories to come.

What this read is not about:

As this site is all about stories, the title question will be discussed in terms of storytelling aspects and not

• The popularity of the cast.
• Performance of the actors.
• Marketing and technicalities of filmmaking.

Average rating of the first movie.

What makes Pirates of the Caribbean a blockbuster?

Firstly, the term blockbuster doesn’t signify just the commercial success, blockbuster is often a good indicator of the extent of viewers and fan base of the franchise.

• The Characters

The characters are the soul of these movies, which is quite self-evident, especially Captain Jack Sparrow, the protagonist. And the other characters like Davy Jones, Black Beard, and many more. Even though they are basically pirates, they bring different shades and tones to the story and render a diverse narration without which it could’ve been monotonous. And their stylized appearance and eccentricity have immensely influenced our perception of pirates in stories to come.

• Worldbuilding

The impressive part of this franchise is its worldbuilding (the process of creating a fictional world where the story is set). The 18th-century European style of the world with a blend of fantasy comprising iconic pirates, majestic ships, a wonderful world of seas, and other fantastic creatures are awe-inspiring visual artistry for the audience. And the film series also has an unfair advantage that comes with its concept of pirates, that is…

• Untold Story

Fantasy literature is filled with the stories of kings, swordsmen, wizards, sorcerers, and mythical creatures. However, stories solely focused on pirates are uncommon, and a popular one is even rarer.
Pirates of the Caribbean has the upper hand over other fantasy films with a distinctive premise of pirates with fantastic elements. It also has the benefit of its enormous scale of production. As the narrative is about pirates, it also gets an extra edge by showcasing the fantasy world of the seas, which comes with the idea of fantasy pirates. That is why worldbuilding has inherent freshness and originality, which sets it apart from other fantasy worlds, making it a well-known pioneer in pirates theme of the motion picture.

Downside

The biggest downside of this franchise is its story, especially in the later parts of the series. The story is engaging in the first two films. After that, it starts to bank on just the characters, for the most part, the character of Captain Jack Sparrow. There’s nothing wrong with a character-driven storyline. Although, a strong plot could have turned it into a phenomenal series in every sense, as it has all the potential to be one.
And to make them more commercial, the films have taken a comedic tone, for the most part, especially the fifth installment of the franchise, rather than having a balance of weighty and funny.