The eighth 'Saw' movie debuted to a strong $16.3 million this weekend, while George Clooney's dark comedy bombed with $2.8 million, putting it in the No. 9 spot.
- October 30, 2017
AceShowbiz -
The latest installment of the "Saw" movie series made a strong debut at the North American box office this weekend. Directed by the Spierig brothers, "Jigsaw" landed in the top spot with $16.6 million. It performed a bit below industry projections though, opening lower than all but one of its predecessors, "Saw VI", which collected $14.1 million in 2009.
Written by Josh Stolberg and Peter Goldfinger, "Jigsaw" once again tells the story of a group of people being held captive in intricate death traps by a mysterious assailant. The film, which reportedly cost $10 million to produce, received generally-negative reviews, but audiences gave it a B CinemaScore, a solid mark for horror flicks in general and the "Saw" movie series in particular.
"Saw" launched in October 2004, with James Wan directing, and Lionsgate released a film in every year through 2010 with "Saw 3D". David Spitz, Lionsgate's domestic distribution president, noted that the studio relied on that history in marketing "Jigsaw". "This franchise has a very loyal fan base with nearly $1 billion worldwide," he said. "Historically, the films of the 'Saw' franchise have always benefited from a Halloween launch."
Other newcomers this weekend, "Thank You for Your Service" and "Suburbicon", flopped at the domestic box office. Despite receiving an A- CinemaScore, the Jason Hall-directed war drama starring Miles Teller had an underwhelm debut with $3.8 million in No. 6. As for George Clooney's dark comedy which has a star-studded cast, including his pal Matt Damon, Oscar Isaac and Julianne Moore, and received a D- CinemaScore, it collected $2.8 million in the ninth place.
Meanwhile, last week's champion, Tyler Perry's "Boo 2! A Madea Halloween", dropped one slot to the runner-up spot with $10.1 million. Rounding out the top five were "Geostorm", "Happy Death Day" and "Blade Runner 2049", which earned $5.9 million, $5.1 million and $4.1 million, respectively.
While the domestic box office's been quiet this weekend, Disney and Marvel's superhero movie "Thor: Ragnarok" is making a thunderous debut overseas, earning $107.6 million across 36 markets. The third "Thor" movie directed by Taika Waititi is opening domestically on November 3.
Top Ten Movies at Weekend Box Office for October 27-29:
