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Sunday, November 15
At a recent media conference, Lionsgate vice-chairman Michael Burns said that Saw VI was "buzz-sawed" by Paranormal Activity at the box office.
Opening the same weekend, Paranormal easily beat Saw VI and continued to perform strongly, quickly becoming the most profitable movie ever made. Saw movies are never made with a high budget, so the poor performance has not kept Lionsgate from making money, which is all Burns said is needed to keep making more.
As long as we make money on it we'll keep doing this.
Saw VII is already in the works with Saw VIII in the planning stages, though a Saw producer says VIII may be the last one.
Posted 11/15/2009 by Ryan
Related: Saw VI | Saw VIII | Saw VII | Paranormal Activity
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Monday, November 9
Pre-production on Saw VII has already begun ... so despite the poor box office for Saw VI, the Saw series is far from over. Saw VII will look to revitalize the franchise, at least financially, with the series stepping into 3-D territory for the first time. Tobin Bell spoke to Fearnet about what it will be like to bring Jigsaw to the third dimension.
It will be an interesting experience. I'll be doing the same thing. Possibly doing it differently, like saying, "Reach out this way!" But I am going to be doing exactly what I always do. I am moreconcerned with the quality of the drama than I am in the special effects, I'll leave that to someone else. That's not my job. I'll bewatching with interest and listening for good counsel from the 3-D techs, who I'm sure will be lingering around me. And I'll be saying, get away from me!
Saw VII is scheduled to open in October of next year. David Hackl will direct from a script by Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton.
Posted 11/9/2009 by Ryan
Related: Saw VI | Tobin Bell | Saw VII
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Thursday, October 29
Saw VI's opening weekend was pretty lackluster both domestically and overseas. Paranormal Activity took the top spot at the U.S. box office, while Up grabbed the topspot for the U.K. box office.
This weekend, Saw VI hopes to rebound with a stronger showing, but it won't get any help from Spain, which has given Saw VI the country's first ever, violence-driven "X" rating. Ignasi Guardans of the Spanish Culture Ministry's Film Institute had this to say to THR:
I have followed, as usual, the proposal of the Cinematographic Film Ratings Commission. I could have acted differently, but I haven't found any reason to do so. Indeed, the money invested cannot be the reason to decide the rating of a film.
Posted 10/29/2009 by Ryan
Related: Saw VI
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Sunday, October 25
If there's one thing that a Saw movie could count on, it was making a solid $30 million its opening weekend. The past four Saw sequels have all opened to the same box-office success. However, it appears that Saw VI won't share the same fate.
The nationwide release of Paranormal Activity has beaten Saw VI at the box office by earning $7.6 million on Friday, compared to Saw VI's $7 million.
At this pace, Saw VI is looking to make $12 million this weekend, which would be the weakest opening for a Saw movie since the first one entered theaters. Looks like audiences are looking for something new, an actually scary movie.
Posted 10/25/2009 by Ryan
Related: Saw VI | Paranormal Activity
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Friday, October 23
Saw VI, like the previous five Saw installments, was not screened for critics. This is typically a pretty bad sign. On that front, Saw VI does not disappoint.
"Saw VI is not as elaborately plotted as prior sequels, but it doesn't need to be. After the last couple of halfassed tries, it's nice to have one that finally delivers a decent ending."
— Luke Y. Thompson, E! Online
"Because Saw does nothing to alter the look, tone, and engineered gimmickry from one movie to the next, it keeps going deeper into backstory and character arcs than horror series past, as if this ugly, cheap-looking schlock were somehow The Lord Of The Rings."
— Scott Tobias, Onion AV Club
"As usual, what gives the film whatever interest it has — beyond satisfying the rapacious appetites of gore aficionados — is the moral element attached to the various Rube Goldberg-style set pieces."
— Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter
"Saw VI is the thinnest, draggiest, and most tediously preachy of the Saw films."
— Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly
"...the quality of the torture machines and the importance of the rules that the subjects of the torture "games" must follow continue to decline. The Saw films have always been more about the gruesome toys and the puzzles than about the scares. In VI, one test involves dodging hot steam. That's quite a comedown from the good old days of being drowned in liquefied hog carcasses, or having to remove your own foot with a hacksaw."
— Mike Hale, New York Times
Posted 10/23/2009 by reelz
Related: Saw VI
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Saw VI, the latest installment of the annual October series, opens this weekend and, for once, it won't be the only horror movie to do so.
Typically, horror movies rarely open in October, giving the Saw movies a wide berth. Zombieland moved to October 9 from October 2 at the first chance it got, and both of Rob Zombie's Halloween installments opened in August, months away from any Saw competition.
Yet, Paramount has pitted Paranormal Activity's nationwide release against Saw VI, and perhaps wisely so. The LA Times predicts that Paranormal could very likely beat Saw VI in box-office receipts this weekend.
Saw VI producer Mark Burg admitted to ShoctkTillYouDrop that "[Paranormal]'s coming at us head-on." But that doesn't bother him.
It's great. It's good for everybody. Our trailer is on their movie,so I want them to do a bunch of business. I think it's just good.
The past four Saw movies opened to at least $30 million, while Paranormal has already made $20 million playing on only 760 screens. Considering that Saw VII is already in pre-production, and Saw VIII is being planned, it seems there's more at at stake for Paranormal than Saw VI. However, by opening another horror movie the same weekend, Paramount has decided that October is no longer strictly Saw territory.
Posted 10/23/2009 by Ryan
Related: Mark Burg | Saw VI | Paranormal Activity
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Friday, October 16
The release of Saw VI is just around the corner, but it's never too early to talk about the future. Producer Mark Burg and co-screenwriter Marcus Dunstan spoke with Collider and revealed what fans can look forward to in Saw VII and VIII. Burg claims that VIII may be the end for the series.
We're definitely making Saw VII. We're starting in January, and it's going to be in 3-D. The storyline that we started in Saw V and carry through Saw VI, ends at Saw VIII. Where it goes beyond that, I couldn't tell you. In my mind and in [producer] Oren [Koule]'s mind, we have the story threaded through Saw VIII. After that, I can't tell you that the franchise will continue.
Dunstan explained that knowing what that end will be is a positive thing for himself and co-screenwriter Patrick Melton.
That helps when writing, though. Even if it's a small detail, you know that this element has to happen in Saw VII and this has to happen in Saw VIII, so that we know we're getting up to that point. But, that isn't to say that there isn't definitely a clear resolution at the end of each story because there is, especially with Saw VI. Once you see Saw VI, you'll understand how it's supposed to end, and then, oops, something else happens and that will lead somewhere.
Burg calls that "something" a "twist."
Saw VI has a great twist. You're going to look at the film and be like, "F**k, they got me again! How did I not see this coming?"
Saw VII will be the first Saw in 3-D, and Burg says they are building the sets in a way that will take advantage of the 3-D technology.
We're going to design traps to come at you. The pendulum trap that opened the last Saw movie would have been great in 3-D.
We're planning a lot of the movie to be through the victim's eyes, seeing stuff as it's coming towards them, in their point-of-view. But, I think the audience wants a couple My Bloody Valentine-type moments, where the gun comes into the audience.
For now, Saw fans will have to enjoy the 2-D world of Saw VI when it opens October 23. Dunstan says the movie will give "a real clear understanding of what John Kramer's [Tobin Bell] overall plan was and, in turn, what Hoffman's [Costas Mandylor] plan was" by the end.
Posted 10/16/2009 by Ryan
Related: Mark Burg | Marcus Dunstan | Saw VI | Saw VIII | Saw VII
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Tuesday, October 13
Two new TV spots for Saw VI show a very alive Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) proclaiming, "I am still among you." Whether Jigsaw will continue merely in flashback or be brought back to life in a way that ignores the lessons of other horror movie sequels will be revealed October 23. Watch both spots below:
Can't get enough Saw? Match your wits against Jigsaw and put yourself in a trap here.
Next Showing: Saw VI opens October 23
Posted 10/13/2009 by Ryan
Related: Saw VI | Tobin Bell
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Monday, October 12
When a horror movie finds success at the box office, it's almost guaranteed to get a sequel. And that sequel often becomes more sequels, which have an unfortunate tendency for becoming increasingly stale. By the time a horror franchise reaches a sixth installment, it's usually operating in zombie mode (meaning, crying out for a beheading).
In less than two weeks, Saw VI heads to theaters — with no plans of wrapping up the series. Saw VII is already in pre-production and plans are in place for Saw VIII. If the Saw franchise has any chance of continuing, it had better learn from the mistakes of other "part six" horror sequels.
Check out 666: Sequels Gone Wrong, where we offer six critical lessons Saw VI can learn from other long-running horror franchises.
Posted 10/12/2009 by reelz
Related: Friday the 13th | Friday the 13th, Part VI: Jason Lives | Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare | Hellraiser: Hellseeker | Saw | Halloween 6 | Curse of the Puppet Master: The Human Experiment | Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood | Saw VI | Saw VIII | Saw VII
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Sunday, October 11
After dying in Saw III, how will Jigsaw be significant in Saw VI? Tobin Bell describes Jigsaw's role in the upcoming sequel in a new featurette found on MySpace that includes new footage not found in the trailers. Check it out below.
Next Showing: Saw VI opens October 23
Posted 10/11/2009 by Ryan
Related: Saw III | Saw VI | Tobin Bell