The box office was expected to take yet another hit this weekend, with three newcomers arriving, each of which debuting in less than 3,000 theaters. Sure enough, all three movies came in far under expectations, withJigsaw, the eighth movie in theSaw franchise, coming out on top with a paltry $16.5 million, which managed to come in under even the most modest of expectations. Still, the movie had no troubles coming out on top, with the other two newcomers Universal’sThank You For Servingand Paramount’sSuburbiconboth severely underperforming.
WhileThank You For Your Servicewas at least a critical hit, with a solid 77% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes,JigsawandSuburbiconfailed to impress the critics, with theSaw sequelearning a 39% score on RT withSuburbiconfaring even worse, with a 29% score. Still,Jigsawhas already made its money back from a $10 million production budget, taking in a $5,525 per-screen average from 2,941 theaters. The movie earned the second worst opening weekend gross in theSawfranchise, just ahead ofSaw VI’s $14.1 million in 2009.
In the 8th installment of the popular Saw series, bodies are turning up around the city, each having met a uniquely gruesome demise. As the investigation proceeds, evidence points to one man: John Kramer. But how can this be? The man known as Jigsaw has been dead for over a decade. But inSaw 8, he doesn’t appear to be dead anymore. Tobin Bell returns as the title character with a cast that also includes Laura Vandervoort, Matt Passmore, Callum Keith Rennie, Hannah Anderson, Brittany Allen, Tina Jung, Bonnie Siu and Paul Braunstein.
Thank You For Your Servicecenters onSgt. Adam Schumann, who tries to readjust to civilian life after returning home from the war in Iraq. Fellow soldier Tausolo Aeiti must deal with the aftermath of a bombing that left him with a traumatic brain injury. Will Waller searches for normalcy after surviving several explosions, while Michael Emory must deal with the effects of a sniper’s bullet to the head. With memories of the battlefield still lingering, the soldiers soon begin their long journey to physical and emotional rehabilitation.
Suburbicon is a peaceful, idyllic, suburban community with affordable homes and manicured lawns – the perfect place to raise a family, and in the summer of 1959, the Lodge family is doing just that. But the tranquil surface masks a disturbing reality, as husband and father Gardner Lodge must navigate the town’s dark underbelly of betrayal, deceit and violence. The movie starsMatt Damon with George Clooney directing. The top 10 is rounded out byBoo 2! a Madea Halloween($10 million),Geostorm($5.6 million),Happy Death Day($5 million),Blade Runner 2049($3.9 million),Thank You for Your Service($3.7 million),Only the Brave($3.4 million),The Foreigner($3.2 million),Suburbicon($2.8 million) andIT($2.3 million).
Looking ahead to next weekend, Marvel Studios brings the highly-anticipatedThor: Ragnarokinto theaters, and while there hasn’t been a specific theater count given yet, thisThorsequel will likely arrive in more than 4,000 theaters. The superhero sequel’s only other new competitor is STX Entertainment’sA Bad Moms Christmas, although that arrives a few days early on November 1.Box Office Mojoreports that, also arriving in limited release that weekend are The Orchard’s documentary11/8/16, Parade Deck Films' comedyBad Grandmas, Hannover House’s dramaBattlecreek, Magnolia’s action movieBlade of the Immortal, Strand’s documentaryDream Boat, Yash Raj’s action thrillerITTEFAQ, A24’s dramatic comedyLady Bird, Lionsgate’s dramaLast Flag Flying, Electric Entertainment’s dramaLBJ, FilmRise’s dramaMy Friend Dahmer, Archstone’s war dramaOn Wings of Eaglesand Vertical Entertainment’s sci-fi filmSingularity. Take a look at the top 10 estimates below and check back on Tuesday for next week’s predictions.
