The Saw franchise returned after a seven year hiatus but its arrival was met with so-so results as Halloween weekend proves to be a slow one at the box office.
With an estimated $16.25 million, Lionsgate’s Jigsaw brought the Saw franchise back to the big screen and delivered the seventh best opening of the franchise’s eight films. Only 2009’s Saw VI debuted lower. While this is below the $20 million it was tracking at, I think a part of the reason it came in lower is because there are multiple Halloween options for moviegoers (Boo 2!, Happy Death Day & It) and the attention is being spread equally.
Jigsaw‘s staying power within the current marketplace (not to mention just how much of an effect Stranger Things debuting had on its opening) will be tested next weekend as it would be relatively safe to expect a 60%+ drop next weekend and perhaps a less than 2x multiplier for the film’s domestic run. Opening day audiences gave the film a “B” CinemaScore, which is mostly on par for the franchise, and of that audience 51% were female and 52% were under the age of 25. The film also carries a $10 million budget which won’t make this a loss for Lionsgate but it won’t make it a flat out winner either.
Lionsgate also finished in second position with Tyler Perry’s Boo 2! A Madea Halloween which brought in an estimated $10 million, pushing the film’s domestic total over $35 million after ten days in release. This puts the sequel’s performance well behind the first film, which had already grossed $52.5 million after ten days.
Warner’s Geostorm finished in third place with an estimated $5.67 million as the film’s domestic total now stands at $23.5 million after ten days in release. The film’s international performance, however, offers a little more to celebrate. The film debuted in China this weekend with an estimated $34.1 million, which contributed to an overall $49.3 million weekend overseas, bringing the international gross to $113.4 million for a global tally over $136 million.
Universal and Blumhouse’s Happy Death Day brought in an estimated $5 million for a fourth place finish as its domestic total now stands at $48.3 million as it enters its third weekend in release & that’s all on a $4.8 million budget.
Rounding out the top five is WB’s Blade Runner 2049 with an estimated $3.9 million as the film’s domestic gross climbs to $81.3 million. Additionally, Blade Runner debuted in China this weekend and struggled, delivering a mere $7.6 million and a third place finish.
Just outside the top five we come to the second of the weekend’s new wide releases in Universal’s release of Amblin and DreamWorks’s Thank You For Your Service. The film opened with just $3.7 million, which is just a bit shy of the $4 million it was tracking at heading into the weekend. While reviews were solid (68 rating on Metacritic) and opening day audiences liked what they saw (“A-” CinemaScore), there just wasn’t enough interest. Overall, the audience was 58% male vs. 42% female with 70% coming in over the age of 25.
It isn’t until the ninth position that we find George Clooney’s Suburbicon, which brought in just $2.8 million from 2,046 theaters for a $1,369 per theater average. Reviews heading into the weekend weren’t very strong as it currently holds a 43 rating on Metacritic and audiences weren’t impressed either. The film received a rare “D-” CinemaScore and performed worst with its largest audience, receiving an “F” from moviegoers over the age of 50, which made up 54% of the weekend’s ticket buyers.
Check out the full top ten results below:
- Jigsaw – $16.2 million (New)
- Boo 2! A Madea Halloween – $10 million (-52.9%, $35.5 million)
- Geostorm – $5.6 million (-58.6%, $23.5 million)
- Happy Death Day – $5 million (-45.5%, $48.3 million)
- Blade Runner 2049 – $3.9 million (-46.1%, $81.3 million)
- Thank You For Your Service – $3.7 million (New)
- Only The Brave – $3.4 million (-42.5%, $11.9 million)
- The Foreigner – $3.2 million (-44.5%, $28.8 million)
- Suburbicon – $2.7 million (New)
- It – $2.4 million (-28.6%, $323.7 million)
