Sony has accused the Walt Disney Company of bending the rules in announcing the box office totals for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. The main issue in question is whether Pirates 3 or Spider-Man 3 brought in the most gold doubloons over its first six days of worldwide release. Sony spokesman Steve Eltzer is claiming that At World's End opened in at least two areas on the previous Tuesday, which would add a seventh day of grosses to what Disney announced as a six-day record. Disney is claiming "we had previews that generated $1.4 million. And in keeping with industry practice, we rolled it into the opening day." I, Patrick Walsh, am claiming that if these people would put as much work into their movies as they do into arguing about insanely trivial financial records, moviegoers would be a hell of a lot happier.

Sony opened Spider-Man 3 on a Tuesday in some territories overseas and announced a "six-day opening record" of $232 million. Disney announced its "six-day opening record" of $251 for Pirates. And both have been grumbling and bickering back and forth ever since. "While there may or may not be other territories that opened prior to Wednesday, we believe that as more day-and-date releases enter the market, there should be a consistent standard in international box office reporting," says Eltzer. "This issue is larger than an opening-week box office statistic." Hear hear! Way to focus on the truly important issues, boys! This is a sad day indeed. I thought Hollywood was supposed to be a world of magical entertainments and childlike wonder, and now we come to find out that these people seem to be most interested in ... money? Who knew?

So is it just me, or is the summer movie season off to a crappy start? Oh the numbers are big with both 'Spider-Man 3' and 'Shrek 3' breaking box office records, and 'Pirates 3' is sure to do some record busting of its own. But aside from 'Shrek 3' (which I liked a lot), 'Spider-Man' got caught in his own web of emo B.S. and 'Pirates 3' ... just blows. But I'm not giving up the ship just yet (or limiting my high expectations to indie fare). I have super high hopes for 'Knocked Up' and I actually think that 'Transformers' might rock the house.

But in the meantime, matey, here's my take on this weekend's wide releases. Oh, but first ... What do Captain Jack Sparrow and Colin Farrell have in common? They're both searching for booty!! (Ba-dum ching!) And what do you call a pirate who poses for Playboy? A Play-matey! Thanks, I'll be here all week.

OK, here we go. Yes, that's right, the much anticipated finale of the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' series sails into theaters.

(Announcer voice) Last time on 'Pirates' ... If you remember, at the end of 'Pirates 2,' Lord Cutler stole Davy Jones' heart and Captain Jack was sent to Davy Jones' locker at the end of the world. Now, Captain Barbossa, Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann lead the crew of the Black Pearl to the world's end to rescue Jack Sparrow and to find the Pieces of Eight to reunite the Pirate Council of Nine to fight against Cutler, Jones and the entire East India Trading Company armada.

Recently, we questioned whether there was any trouble brewing over at Disney regarding the status of Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End. Here we are two months before the film is set to debut and, so far, we've seen nada -- no website, no teaser, no trailer and no satisfying set pics. Well, folks over at the Mouse House were keeping mum for a reason -- as usual, they were planning something big. First up, Disney will premiere the Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End trailer during a special nationwide "Pirates Ultimate Fan Event" on Sunday, March 18. In addition to the trailer preview, there will be a screening of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, as well as Pirate-themed prizes and a bunch of other goodies. The event will be held in each market at a select theater and fans can find out more by logging on to Disney.com/piratesfanevent.

Oh, but that's not all. For those of you who cannot make it out to the event, Disney will premiere the Pirates 3 trailer on ABC the following day, March 19, during the premiere episode of Dancing with the Stars (between 8-10PM). Immediately following the show, you can watch the trailer online at Yahoo.com, Disney.com and a number of other premium online destinations. In case you're bad at math (like me), this means we have exactly 10 days before those crazy Pirates officially take over the planet ... for a third time. Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End hits theaters on May 25. So, are you excited about the third film?

Yes, the title says it all -- a big batch of behind-the-scenes pics for Spider-Man 3 have surfaced over at AICN, who claim the images are from the Art of Spider-Man 3 book. Here's where you might say: "But Erik, we've seen pics, trailers and seven-minute clips -- what more can you show us that we haven't already had a taste of?" Well, would it help if I mention the name 'Venom?' The majority of the pics show us how those wizards over in the make-up department went about transforming Eddie Brock (Topher Grace) into Venom, followed by some concept art and models which show what Venom will look like once everything is complete. There's also a pretty cool Sandman panel consisting of Thomas Haden Church in several "magazine poses," as well as what appears to be some sort of model showing the Sandman transformation.

With Spider-Man 3 set to swing into U.S. theaters on May 4, Sony has bombarded us with plenty of Spidey coolness to whet our appetites. Sure, some of it has been authorized and some not, but we've seen enough to know what we're in store for. However, the same can't be said for another huge May release -- which also happens to be the third installment in a blockbuster franchise -- Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End. Rumors surfaced recently that the reason why we haven't even seen a teaser yet (or a convincing set of stills) is because the pic is so far behind that its release date might need to be pushed back. It would be unheard of for Disney to push back the prime release date for, what could be, their biggest money-maker of the year -- but, that's what folks are saying. Now, before you Pirates fans begin freaking out, Cinematical spoke with a Disney rep yesterday, who said off-the-record that as far as they knew, the release date has not been moved and Pirates 3 will be released on May 25, as planned. Yet, that still doesn't answer our questions -- I mean, what gives? There's not even an official website yet?