Johnny Depp fans are heading to their local retail outlets in droves today to pick up the just-released summer blockbuster PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN’S CHEST on DVD. Depending on which store you chose, you could opt for a bonus disc with extra features at Best Buy (free with purchase while supplies last) or a bobblehead doll of Captain Jack as the king of Cannibal Island, complete with toe necklace ($9.99 with DVD purchase), also at Best Buy; WalMart gave away T-shirts to their earliest customers and is offering a free disc with 10 pirate songs with a DEAD MAN’S CHEST purchase, while Circuit City has a free POTC DVD game when you buy the movie.

DEAD MAN’S CHEST is available in a single-disc version which contains the film, the bloopers and the writers’ commentary track, or in a two-disc version which contains extra features on the filmmaking, including “Captain Jack: Head to Toe,” which explains the history of each part of Captain Jack Sparrow’s wardrobe. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer is back with his beautiful on-set photographs and memories of shooting, while the hour-long “According to Plan” feature describes how the director, cast and crew triumphed over the challenges of shooting at extremely remote Caribbean locations with every manner of logistical hazard, including the occasional hurricane. Prices for the single disc and double-disc set vary widely, so check your local retailers.

You shouldn’t have any trouble locating a copy of DEAD MAN’S CHEST, since Disney is shipping 20 million copies to North American retailers for the December 5th release. That will easily make DEAD MAN’S CHEST one of the five top video sellers of all time.

Several fine reviews of the DVD and its extra features can be found on the Zone’s News & Views forum, if you want to check the features in detail. The Zone thanks DeepinDepp, theresa, and emma for articles on the DVD release.