See ya, Saw. According to early estimates from Hollywood.com Box Office, the new big kahuna in horror is officially Paranormal Activity, which conjured $22 million in its first weekend with a full wide release, clawing its way to the top of the box office after a full month in theaters. To date, the micro-budgeted phenom has pulled in $62.5 million; with Halloween still a week away, Paramount could easily see total grosses edging past $100 million, a benchmark that a certain venerable torture porn franchise has never reached.
Indeed, Saw VI never stood a chance, banking just $14.8 million for second place and the worst opening in the Saw franchise’s history — in fact, it’s just half the $30 million that Saw V opened to one year ago. Expect a lot of talk in the coming week about torture porn dying a slow, agonizing death at the hands of a plucky upstart that gets audiences goosed not with baroque blood and gore, but by old fashioned tension, suspense, creepy shadows, and bumps in the night.
In fact, when final numbers come in tomorrow, Saw VI may even drop behind Where the Wild Things Are, which pulled in an estimated $14.4 million in its second weekend. That’s a steep 56 percent drop from its debut, a pretty clear indication that director Spike Jonze’s meditation on childhood is not inspiring the kind of repeat viewing from children that drives the box office for most family movies. Still, with $53.9 million in the bank, the film is performing far better than many in Hollywood had expected.
It’s certainly stronger than any of the films that opened this weekend. The sci-fi animated film Astro Boy sputtered with $7 million and sixth place, yet another in a long line of failed attempts to make feature animation aimed directly at boys. Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant may have been advertised as the beginning of “The Cirque du Freak saga,” with with just $6.3 million for eighth place, it may actually be the end. And Amelia could not recover from a storm of bad reviews, crashing at 11th place with a tiny $4 million in 818 theaters. Overall, box office was down roughly 10 percent from last year, when the unrelenting behemoth known as High School Musical 3 tormented audiences nationwide.
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Amelia had the second highest per screen average and Wild Things will not make it’s money back. It’s budget is now reported to have been in excess of $100 million, not the $80 mill reported by EW
The thing with movies these days is that it can get close and overseas will push them over.. Terminator salvation, Aliens in the attic, etc.. plus dvds and other home media eventually I think makes a profit of everything
who cares Avatar will be the biggest movie of all time when it comes out…it will make $602 Million dollar.
‘watch free movies and other cool stuff on defSpot com’
yeah sure jon……Avatar will be the biggest of all time. I’m sure anyone who couldn’t care less about computer games and movies based on computer games will storm theaters when it opens. By the way, the previews look so lame.
uuum its not based on a computer game…looks kinda epic, not the biggest of all time, but epic (also remember its from the director WHO MADE the biggest movie of all time, titanic)
they are making a game for it but yes you are incorrect. It is an original story
Avatar will be the Chinese Democracy of cinema. Years (nearly a decade now) of talk about how things will be revolutionized and amazing, followed by the inevitable underwhelmed feeling of the general public. It probably won’t flop as bad as Guns N’ Roses’ album did, but I doubt it’ll bring in the same magnitude of money as earlier James Cameron movies.
Move along, daddy wants to use the computer now.
Avatar? What’s that? Is it a geeky comic book story? If I haven’t heard about it and I’m 27 then it must be lame. With a name like that I think I might go against any hype this lame-named movie my conjur and not see it.
Oh Jake. I’m 48 and I’ve heard about Avatar!
Jake, obviously, you haven’t been to a movie theater lately. They are running the previews of Avatar everywhere!
BTW, I’m 61, and the trailers actually look pretty interesting, even though I’m not a real fan of science fiction or whatever it is!
Amelia was good, I saw it, I would nominate H-Swank for an Oscar. Reviews mean nothing. And $4mil for 800 screens sounds good to me!
agreed! saw it today and thought it was beautiful! i loved everything about it!
It’s only a $5K average – not terrible, but nothing to brag about either.
That was the most boring movie I have ever seen, and I like Hillary Swank. No plot, and you already know the ending. Even the love scenes were weak and I would never say that about Richard Gere. He’s usually delicious!
Two thumbs down!
I guess nobody wanted to see Saw, time to end that crap for good.
i dont come to EW.com for this conservative bias BULLSH1T. Leave the Saw franchise alone people. They do great work for society and cinema, and people that do pay for the movies shouldn’t be chastised by the media.
You’re right. They should just be chastised by the public at large for having bad taste in movies.
“They do great work for society and cinema”? Please clarify what that could possibly mean.
Speaking as a fan of the first three Saw movies, the series should’ve ended after the real Jigsaw died. After that, it lost me, and a lot of fans must have felt the same way. I’m surprised at the huge drop off, but with Paranormal Activity gaining a huge following (even if you believe it’s overhyped, like I do), Saw had real competition for the first time in years (and no, High School Musical 3 doesn’t count). After five Saw installments, horror buffs really wanted something fresh, and PA provided just that.
agreed
Saw movies suck rotten eggs. I watched 30 minutes of the first one and thought to myslef, who in their right mind would watch this kinda crap? I left the theatre before I lost more brain cells watching this useless crap of a story. Fans should really think clearly as to why they would find people being tortured amusing. And then check themselves at the nearless mental hospital. JUST to make sure.
And this is exactly the kind of irritating sanctimoniousness that makes me annoyed by non-Saw fans.
While people have the right to dislike the Saw series and avoid the movies, stop making stupid presumptions about the fanbase because you don’t get the appeal of the movies. Enjoying the Saw series doesn’t make us a bunch of closet psychopaths who’re a danger to society. The REAL psychopaths you should be worried about, like the Columbine shooters, never needed movies as a measure to their ’sick’ mentality, so assuming it does for the rest of us is utterly ridiculous.
While I agree with t3hdow that bashing the fans of a movie you don’t like is completely pointless, I do have to say that the only really GOOD Saw was the first one. Ever since then it has been the same movie over and over again. I watched the first three and that was enough.
Ok, the bashing of Amelia needs to end. I haven’t seen it and i don’t intend too but 4 million from 800 screens is not bad at all and it is in line with all modest expectation. EW, You guys overestimated SAW redicuously. i saw since last weekend that it would bomb when paranormal was drawing and pulling in a ton of money. And astro boy looked like a flop to begin with.
I feel bad for the SAW series, especially considering how amazing they have been doing since the first one came out. 2-5 all opened to an excess of 30 million, and to chop that in half after one year is a bit too suprising. There goes the frannchise. Shame because this one has gotten better reviews than the last 3 combined.
and WTWTA will even out next weekend. I had the Act’S today which stopped me from watching it this weekend. It will jump right back
You feel BAD for the Saw series?? Ugh, spare me. The people involved in that franchise have made a fortune. The series went on too long and they got greedy. Had to expect it would fizzle out eventually.
Paranormal Activity is freakin SCARY
Agreed–I base scary movies on how hard it is to go to sleep after. After watching Saw, I slept like a baby–I couldn’t sleep for 2 nights after Paranormal Activity
Just wanted to point out that your screencap comes from a scene that didn’t actually air in the theatrical version. I like the new ending much better anyway.
Yeah I saw the original ending too and the Theatrical one was much better.
“Amelia” and “Astro Boy” were both really good…I would recommend seeing them. The showing of “Amelia” I went to was uncomfortably full, so I’m not surprised its per-screen average is so high.
How did Chris Rock’s movie, “Good Hair” do? This is another movie that’s gotten a lot of buzz. I was in a theater in Raleigh, NC Friday night seeing it. One of the few males watching it–most of the audience was female so it’s winning the female demographic well.
Is that racist still in showbiz?
Well, if the likes of Glenn Beck, Bill O’Riley, Rush Limbaugh are.. then why shouldn’t Chris still be in sowbiz… someone’s got to balance out the racism spewing out of the religious right.
Awe I really liked Cirque…wish more people had gone. A sequel would be awesome.
Saw VII will be out next year, and Saw VIII the next. So you think just because it didn’t have as an impressive opening as the last four it will stop? Well you are wrong. And to clarify, Saw V wasn’t #1 last year, it was beaten, naturally, by High School Musical 3
True, HSM3 had better numbers, but since Saw V earned the annual average of $30 million, HSM3 had little effect on the franchise’s financial gains. Add a real horror contender like Paranormal Activity, and the annual returns were cut in half. That says a lot more.
That says alot about Paranormal Activity. But in true honesty, the general consensus is that movie goers are getting fed up of the Saw franchise. There’s no more story to go through. The traps are getting too lame. Personally I stopped after IV.
And idiots like you will go watch it. Normal society doesn’t need to watch people get tortured for thrills.
I still need to see “Paranormal Activity”!
Take my word for it…no you don’t.
i seen law abiding citizen it was excellent .never cared for saw series .avatar looks to be good cant wait on planet 51 ought to be a riot and of course 2012 will be interesting just to hear the response after it coems out
Excellent take-down of the creepy Saw torture-porn franchise. Nice work, American movie-going public.
I can guarantee that Avatar will not be the biggest movie ever when it comes out. What a stupid comment.
Agreed, and I’m a HUGE Sci Fi fan and Avater looks terrible to me.
i found it interesting that the preview i saw had to list every blockbuster james cameron had in BIG HUGE LETTERS across the screen. my friend and i looked at each other at the same time and said, “is he worried it will bomb?” is that why he had to point out all of this other great movies?
Paranormal Activity was one of the worst movies Ive seen in a long time.
Overhyped
Slow
Boring
NOT THE SCARIEST MOVIE OF ALL TIME
not even close to the word scary.
I totally agree I’m easily scared and was very disappointed with Paranormal Activity it just go to be so slow moving that it couldn’t hold my interest and then by then ending I didn’t even flinch I was just grateful it was over and annoyed that I’d wasted $8.50
Take your ADD meds and go see it again. Kids these days, can’t sit still for 5 minutes without being shown something graphic. lol
Then go out there and make something better if you think you’re all that and spare us with your whining.
I felt that way about The Blair Witch Project. Wasn’t scary at all.
Paranormal Activity was the scaries movie I’ve seen since The Exorsist. It’s subtle way it creeps up on you is terrifying, no creepy music to warn you, no gore to make it less real just the chill on the back of your neck. A true film and amazingly done, so glad it made the top spot. It earned it.
“Paranormal Activity was the scaries movie I’ve seen since The Exorsist”
Youve got to be kinding me! seriously??? really??
Watching a door move back in forth is scary?
Watching someone stand up in the midnight of the night by the bed is scary?
Watching the oujia board light on fire is scary?
Watching footsteps from the powder walk to your room is scary?
WATCHING THEM FILM THEMSELVES AT NIGHT AND REWATCHING THE RECORDING THE NEXT MORNING SCARY??
OMG
so many errors I left in that reply
LMFAO!!! Love you repsonse and totally agree.
I found PA to be really creepy. I would have probably lost a little sleep over it, but my friend screamed so loud that I couldn’t stop laughing.
And you were probably peeing your pants. Stopped trying to prove your tough on here we can all tell your a wimp in real life.
Just listening to the silence as I waited for the inevitable coming of the demon was scary. The Exorcist scared me (but I was probably 10 at the time) because it it’s subtle nature. Movies like Saw and Nightmare on Elm Street don’t scare me because they are slasher movies. A lot of blood and gore that is so obviously fake its painful. What makes Paranormal so good is that most of it is left up to your imagination. I believe it was Alfred Hitchcock who said “The question as to what is behind the closed door is scarier than any monster I can create” he’s right, the horror of wondering what is going to happen in PA is more terrifying than watching a madman hack naked teenagers with machete.
Freakin amazing for PA! Who needs big budgets and overpaid “stars” when you have the internet and 15 grand and make millions. And to think Spielturd & Co wanted to make a big budget version of this. Do him and his “Transformers” crap making friends even get today’s viewing audience? What a hack. Oren Peli deserves the credit. I can’t believe this almost went to dvd.
Umm, Spielberg didn’t want to do a higher-budget version, the studio did. Spielberg talked them into releasing this one and even gave the director the idea for the theatrical ending, which they then re-shot and people are loving it. Get your facts straight before you bash someone.
Watch Paranormal with a Fri/Sat night audience. Best movie going experience in years, just like Blair Witch 10 years ago
I watched it Saturday night in an overcrowded theater, the sounds of about 100 other people screaming along with me made my night!
I’ve NEVER been in a theater with so many people screaming. Kudos to Oren.
My friend screamed so loud that I almost squirted Coke Zero out my nose. I loved it. I know that not all of PA was totally original, but so glad to see a fresh idea and not some retread from the 80s to make us all feel old as h*ll. The movie flowed well, lots of times to laugh with the couple, invest ourselves into the couple and to scream with them. It seemed all too real- like watching a good episode of The Haunting or Ghost Hunters.
Very happy for PA.
Too bad they couldn’t have released Trick R Treat although there were a LOT of people who wanted to see that movie get a release. I wish that movie had thought of the “Demand It” advertising that PA did.
Just watched Trick ‘R Treat on DVD this weekend. Not a fan…
I enjoyed that movie. I wish it had gotten a theatrical release as well. Like PA, I found it refreshing. I love horror films, but I’m getting tired of the remakes, sequels, and torture porn. Paranormal Activity and Trick ‘r Treat both went against the grain, and I enjoyed them all the more for it.
Bad news Saw-haters, even though it came in 2nd (or 3rd) it’ll still recoup its costs this weekend and still make a tidy profit and should reclaim the top spot next year. A movie like Paranormal Activity (still hasn’t come to my area yet sadly) only comes along every so often, so there probably won’t be the stiff competition next year. Saw 6 was the best since the first one.
I still don’t get it. I watched it with a friend and we were both excited and prepared to be terrified- didn’t happen. A cousin saw PA and an ambulance was called to the theater because a girl was hyperventilating. I just can’t udnerstand the big deal. The last 15 minutes do not make up for 40 minutes of nothing. Times given were just guesses
Maybe you’re just a freak who never gets scared of anything. Do you feel anything? Happiness, sorrow, anger, excitment? Nothing? I thought so.
Speaking on Yesenia’s half, I’ve been terrified/moved/disturbed by movies before, but Paranormal Activity did nothing for me (or my girlfriend and half the audience for that matter). Pat, I’m glad you enjoyed it, but not all of us thought PA lived up to the hype.
It’s only 55 minutes long?
I see Saw got sliced in half by Paranormal Activity’s 22milion dollar weekend. Saw probably won’t see huge profits this time around as the torture horror genre is finally losing its appeal. And where were all the Wild Things fans this weekend? Internet hype by critics and other obsequious flatterers fail yet again. Thank God Americans aren’t as gullible as the media would like to believe.
I concur. PA was decent, but wasn’t great. No way was it the ’scariest movie of all time’. I agree with David. The pace was slow and though it was a tad creepy, I just didn’t get what the hype was about.
WOW! People are idiots.
How can they spend that money to see a homevideo?
Just look at the pic that EW has above. That is literally the WHOLE MOVIE!!!!!!!!!!!! Just look at it for a minute and save your 12 bucks!!!! That movie sucked!!!!!!!!!
It will go down in history as “wow that piece of crap made that much money”
Maybe you should try to sell a video of yourself taking a dump and see if it does better. Loser.
hahahaha good one Tony
PA was a very good movie in my opinion because it was a change of pace from the ridiculous saw series……I liked how PA was shot in like a documentary style.PA plays with your senses and plays on the fact that it can actually happen.I believe in ghosts and demons and that we are surrounded by them and that they can mess with us whenever they want to.
“Saw VI” did recoup it’s production budget of 11 mil. It raked in 14.8 million this weekend. Assuming it drops 50% of it’s audience- come Halloween weekend, it’ll still sit pretty with 21 million. All the ‘hate’ talk is only generating more buzz for this and “Paranormal Activity”! Execs at Paramount and Lionsgate are laughing all the way to the bank will some of us just continue to bitch!!!!!
I think they need to quit making Saw movies period. We gotta give credit to Paranormal Activity as the little movie that could. I mean it was made for 15K ….and who cares if it was homemade or not….the point is that it can be done.
Paranormal Activity was a complete underdog this weekend, it finally kicked Saw’s ass! (This isn’t the 1st time a Saw film was beaten, HSM 3 was moved to October because Disney was scared of The Dark Knight) And the PA haters, David included, are jealous that people discovered that you don’t need blood and gore to scare an audience.
Thank goodness something kicked Where the Wild Things Are out of the top spot. Now I’ve won a bet with my girlfriend and don’t have to listen to people blather on about how that was the greatest movie ever made and will gross $100 million for another week.