Across a total of nine films, the Saw franchise has finally pushed past the $1 billion mark thanks to the new Chris Rock-led entry, Spiral. The franchise began in 2004 with James Wan and Leigh Whannell‘s Saw, a low-budget horror-thriller with a captivating twist that got audiences instantly invested in the murderous Jigsaw and his twisted and deadly games.
Although the Fast and Furious franchise just recently passed the $6 billion mark in 10 entries, the Saw films haven’t had the same kind of financial backing. Spiral saw the biggest budget for a film in the franchise with $20 million, meanwhile, Fast and Furious‘ first entry from 2001 even had a larger budget with $38 million, almost 40 times the budget of the Saw franchise’s first entry. And, regardless of the critical reception of the Saw franchise, it’s always proved profitable.
“We congratulate our friends at Twisted Pictures and all of the filmmakers and stars who have been a part of the Saw legacy,” said Lionsgate’s president of domestic theatrical distribution David Spitz. “Over the years, our partners have been innovative, creative, and open to new ideas as they have nurtured a micro-budget film into a billion-dollar-plus-grossing cultural phenomenon.”
The new film stars Rock and Samuel L. Jackson and follows the police efforts to stop a Jigsaw copycat killer. So far, Spiral has earned a global haul of $22.5 million.
Leave a Comment