In a word, the weekend box office was torture for Lionsgate.
Cursed with Paramount’s viral phenomenon "Paranormal Activity" unexpectedly opening wide on the pre-Halloween weekend release schedule, Lionsgate was hoping to at least premiere the sixth installment of its venerable "Saw" franchise to $20 million.
However, with "Paranormal" leading all comers this weekend with another $22 million at 1,945 venues, "Saw VI" is projected to finish the weekend with just $14.8 million, according to studio estimates. That’s less than half of the $30 million generated by each of the previous four "Saw" sequel installments upon their respective openings.
"This will not be the last ‘Saw,’" declared David Spitz, executive VP and general manager for Lionsgate.