Captain Blood (1935 film) was $1,242,000. The lead role was originally offered to Robert Donat, who had starred in the successful 1934 film "The Count of Monte Cristo". The asthmatic Donat turned down the role, concerned that the action sequences would be too strenuous for him. A series of screen tests with various actors led to an unknown Australian actor named Errol Flynn. In January 1935, Warner Bros. signed the young actor and brought him to Hollywood after seeing him in a British B picture "Murder at Monte Carlo". For the female lead role, Jean Muir was originally picked to play opposite Donat, but
Captain Blood (1935 film) and the French ships used one of the largest technical crews assembled for a film, requiring 2500 extras. For sea-battle footage, Curtiz used a combination of process shots, miniatures, and footage taken from "The Sea Hawk" (1924). During filming Flynn collapsed from a bout of malaria, which he had first contracted in New Guinea. The film was a big hit making Warner Bros a profit of $1.462 million. According to Warner Bros it earned $1,087,000 domestically and $1,388,000 foreign. "Captain Blood" had its premiere on December 26, 1935 at the Mark Strand Theatre in New York City and was released