Sean Patrick Flanery, Saw 3D
As expected, Kevin Greutert’s cheapo horror flick Saw 3D topped the US/Canada box-office chart this Halloween weekend (Oct. 29-31), grossing $22.5m according studio estimates found at Box Office Mojo.
Playing at 2,808 venues, the Lionsgate-distributed Saw 3D’s per-theater average was an solid — though hardly outstanding (especially for a 3D flick) — $8,013. Adding $1.7m from Thursday midnight screenings, its total reaches $24.2m.
That’s less than Saws 2-5 earned on their first weekend (Saw III scored the most, $33.61m), but nearly as much as Saw VI earned during its entire run ($27.69m.)
Saw 3D’s box-office take certainly isn’t bad for a movie that cost a reported $20m. However, it falls short of expectations.
After all, some had been predicting Saw 3D to gross more than $30m on opening weekend, and even early Friday estimates had the movie collecting about $28m.
Written by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan, Saw 3D features Tobin Bell, Cary Elwes, Betsy Russell, Sean Patrick Flanery, Chad Donella, and Costas Mandylor.
Photo: Saw 3D (Brooke Palmer / Lionsgate)