The film was produced by and released in the United States on May 20, 2011. It was the first film in the series to be released in the and formats.
Writers and first learned of Powers' novel during the back-to-back production of (2006) and, and considered it a good starting point for a new film in the series. Pre-production started after the end of the, with Depp collaborating with the writers on the story design.
Lasted for 106 days between June and November 2010, with locations in Hawaii, the United Kingdom, Puerto Rico and California. Filming employed cameras similar to those used in the production of the 2009 film, and ten companies were involved with the film's. Following inflated production costs which ballooned the net budget to $379 million, the film is currently regarded as the. On Stranger Tides broke many box office records upon release, was the, and it stands as the when not adjusting for inflation. Critical reviews were mixed, with the film receiving criticism over its writing, directing, excessiveness and lack of originality; positive mentions were given on the acting, action sequences, music, visuals and the running time for being much shorter than the previous two films.