Its opponents might have had star power or heartstring-plucking stories of veterans, but with Halloween on the way, Jigsaw beat the rest at the Stateside box office game. The latest – if belated – sequel for the Saw series earned $16.2 million, according to studio estimates.
The horror, which sees the legacy of Jigsaw come back to haunt some new victims, was made for a budget of $10 million (not counting marketing etc.), but despite the seven-year gap between the last movie and this one, it appears the appetite for the torturous games of the killer is still eager. Last week's champion, Tyler Perry's Boo 2! A Madea Halloween slipped to second on $10 million. And Geostorm was shoved to third, making $5.6 million.
In fourth place, fellow horror (this one with more intentional comedy) Happy Death Day took in $5 million, ahead of Blade Runner 2049 on $3.9 million, rounding out the top five.
You have to scan down the charts to sixth to find Thank You For Your Service, which charts the struggles of those returning from war. It earned $3.7 million, ahead of firefighter drama Only The Brave, which has also sought to chronicle heroism. The movie made $3.4 million in seventh. The Foreigner took home $3.2 million in eighth, while the third new arrival of the week, Suburbicon, could only manage $2.8 million for a ninth place launch. Hardly a great result for a movie directed by George Clooney and starring Matt Damon. Finally, box office sensation It finally seemed to be losing some of its power in the face of fresh terror challengers, falling from seventh to 10th for $2.4 million. Still, the scary clown has earned more than $323 million in the States alone.