Soon came 'Pirates of the the Caribbean'. And despite fears that the movie would follow 'Cutthroat Island' down to Davy Jones' Locker, it performed exceptionally well, quickly rising over the $200 million mark in the US.

At the same time, 'Bend It Like Beckham', taking advantage of Keira's new-found kudos, had its release widened from 119 venues to 990.