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The latest Pirates of the Caribbean film has sailed into the record books despite mainly bad reviews.

The third instalment in the trilogy, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, has taken $401 million dollars (£202 million) around the world in its first six days of release - the most lucrative opening in cinema history, according to makers Walt Disney.

The total surpasses the $382 million million (£192 million) set by Spiderman 3 earlier this year.

In the UK, the film took £13.4 million over the rainy opening weekend - the highest box office of the year.

Critics have been overwhelmingly unimpressed by the latest adventure which reunites Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley. But audiences have voted with their feet.

Mark Zoradi of Disney said: "We knew that audiences all over the world were excited to see Johnny Depp and the rest of the fantastic Pirates cast in this latest adventure, but this record-setting response at the global box office has been nothing short of incredible.

"Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End now has the distinction of having the biggest opening in movie history, and we're extremely proud of that achievement."

Disney has announced plans for an online Pirates of the Caribbean game which will allow players to create a virtual world set on the high seas.

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