"Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" will be sneaking over the line, knife clenched firmly in teeth, four to five hours earlier than expected. Hide your valuables. Variety reports that the news of "Spidey 3"'s enormous take over the past weekend have spurred Disney to attempt a kind of subterfuge in order to win back the title.  Opening on a Thursday night would not technically be a weekend but it would allow moviegoers a real opportunity to go watch the film which a midnight showing would not necessarily permit, as well as increase the timespan covered by the word "weekend."  (Your humble reporter would have been happy to go to an 8pm Thursday showing of "Spider-Man 3.")  As a marketing technique, it has promise, especially since the opening weekend is also Memorial Day Weekend, and Friday is notorious for driving.  A Thursday opening allows the roadtrip set to see the movie before going off to Grandma's for the weekend.

Getcher eye-patches ready.