The "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise is undeniably one of the most successful in Hollywood's recent history. One of the reasons behind the continued success of the franchise is the star turn of Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow.

Through four films, he has been the major selling point with his antics and memorable performance. However, the act seems to be wearing off and it could be a matter of cutting ties with the actor and moving on without him. Movie Pilot recently wondered whether the actor might finally be on his way out of the franchise after being its major selling point for years.

It certainly is an interesting notion, considering the fact that Depp's star power has waned in recent years, with the actor no longer the box office draw he once was. The actor has been at the forefront of a number of box office flops in recent years. This year's "Mortdecai" did not even gross $10 million, despite having Depp leading the cast.

"Transcendence," a sci-fi drama that also starred Paul Bettany and Rebecca Hall, was also an astronomical flop at the box office, bringing in just $23 million despite costing $100 million.

Other major box office disappointments include "Dark Shadows" and "The Tourist."

Even the fourth installment, "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," proved to be the lowest grossing of the franchise's films.

The film raked in a total of $241 million, the only film in the franchise to fail to top $300 million in domestic gross. Worldwide the film ranked second in box office intake, but 76.9 percent of the gross came outside the US. In essence, Depp's ability to motivate US audiences into movie theaters is waning even in his most iconic of roles.

Disney seems to be rather practical about cleaning house and rebooting when necessary, and this film might be Depp's final chance to make things work. With Javier Bardem joining the fray, the company might be hoping that the actor of the successful James Bond flick "Skyfall" can reinvigorate the franchise. If the movie, however, continues its box office descent (a likely result from sequel fatigue) then it might be time for Depp and Disney to part ways.