Gore Verbinski's 2023 sci-fi comedy "Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die" has become a major streaming success, marking a turnaround for a director whose career had cooled following the box-office failure of "The Lone Ranger" and the underperformance of "A Cure for Wellness." The film's popularity is notable because it reflects a broader career revival for Verbinski, who had spent years in "director jail" after previously working alongside Johnny Depp on the hugely profitable "Pirates of the Caribbean" trilogy, before both men's fortunes declined through a string of setbacks.

The article traces this arc in detail: the original "Pirates" films grossed over $2.5 billion worldwide, but "The Lone Ranger" made only $260 million against a $250 million budget, damaging Depp's box-office appeal, while Verbinski's follow-up "A Cure for Wellness" also flopped. Depp's standing was further hurt by his highly publicised legal dispute with ex-wife Amber Heard and a lacklustre fifth "Pirates" instalment. Against that backdrop, the strong streaming performance of Verbinski's "gleeful" sci-fi film is presented as a notable comeback moment.