‘Jigsaw’ Slays 'Suburbicon' at The Box Office
Variety.com: Lionsgate’s most recent “Saw” installment, “Jigsaw,” is set to dominate the box office this weekend, coming in at around $15 million, while George Clooney’s “Suburbicon” and Miles Teller-starrer “Thank You For Your Service” launch significantly below estimates.
“Jigsaw,” the eighth effort for the franchise, will perform slightly below estimates in the $18-20 million range at 2,941 locations this weekend. Both “Suburbicon” and “Thank You For Your Service” will barely make a dent, however, pulling in $3 million and $4 million respectively compared to modest estimates in the $6 million range.
The second frame of “Boo 2! A Madea Halloween” is set to slide into second place, reeling in an additional $9.2 million in the pre-Halloween weekend at 2,388 sites, following its $21.2 million launch last weekend.
“Suburbicon,” which premiered at the Venice Film Festival, centers on the dark side of a prototypical suburban community in 1959. Paramount acquired U.S. distribution rights last year for $10 million with Black Bear Pictures financing. Critics have not been impressed with “Suburbicon,” earning the film a 26% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Julianne Moore, Noah Jupe, and Oscar Isaac also star in the movie, which carries a $25 million budget.
Universal’s “Thank You for Your Service,” based on the David Finkel book and produced by DreamWorks Pictures, follows a group of U.S. soldiers returning from Iraq who struggle to integrate back into family and civilian life. It currently holds a 77% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Teller stars along with Haley Bennett, Joe Cole, Amy Schumer, Beulah Koale, Scott Haze, and Keisha Castle-Hughes.
Warner Bros.’ “Geostorm” will vie with Universal’s “Happy Death Day” for third place, in their second and third frame respectively and with about $5 million each; “Geostorm” should be just ahead by about half a million dollars. “Happy Death Day” has grossed $42.8 million domestically in its first 13 days.
“Jigsaw,” named after the deranged killer played by Tobin Bell, is the first “Saw” movie released in seven years. Lionsgate launched the franchise in 2004 with “Saw,” directed by James Wan in his feature film debut, and saw immediate success with worldwide grosses hitting $100 million on a $1.2 million budget. The studio then launched a “Saw” movie annually for six years straight and the films hauled $450 million collectively at the domestic box office, led by 2010’s “Saw 3D.”
“Jigsaw,” which has a budget around $10 million, is directed by brothers Michael and Peter Spierig. Matt Passmore, Callum Keith Rennie, Clé Bennett, and Hannah Emily Anderson star in a story set a decade after the death of the Jigsaw killer. The film earned $7.2 million in cinemas Friday and a B CinemaScore.