‚Those Who Wish Me Dead‘ and ‚Army of Darkness‘ didn’t do much in theaters this weekend, either.
Vaccinations are being administered, mask mandates are lifting around the country, and movie theaters are reopening, but for the Saw franchise, it doesn’t seem like much has changed at the box office. The series started off strong back in 2004 but had diminishing returns with its annual releases until 2010 before the franchise went into hibernation. In 2017, it returned with a reboot of sorts, Jigsaw, but even with the time away, Lionsgate could squeeze very little water from that rock, as it debuted with $16 million on its way to a $38 million domestic run, or half of what the Saw franchise could earn during its heyday. With Spiral: From The Book of Saw, Lionsgate brought back Darren Lynn Bousman — the director of Saw II-IV — and brought in some actual star power in the form of Chris Rock and Samuel L. Jackson, which is fairly unusual for a series whose biggest marquee names in 17 years have basically been Cary Elwes and Donnie Wahlberg. After being delayed for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Spiral seemed poised to do well this weekend. The box office hasn’t had a major wide release since Mortal Kombat, and horror films typically appeal to a younger demographic, who are more inclined to return to theaters.
