SANTA MONICA, Calif. and VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Oct. 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Lionsgate , the leading independent filmed entertainment studio, and Twisted Pictures proved that there are many buckets of blood remaining in the SAW juggernaut this weekend as the fourth installment in the most popular horror franchise in history scared up an estimated $32.1 million at the North American box office at 3,183 theatres, a $10,089 average per location.
SAW IV not only ruled the domestic box office as an iconic Halloween institution but slashed its way to powerful openings in the English-speaking territories of Canada, the U.K. and Australia, all countries where Lionsgate has established its own operations. SAW IV grossed an estimated $5.2 million from 395 screens in the U.K to record the best opening in Lionsgate U.K.'s history. In Australia, Lionsgate kicked off its self-distribution partnership with an estimated opening weekend of $1.8 million on 238 screens, the second highest-grossing weekend ever achieved by distribution partner Hoyts. The film grossed an estimated total of $12.2 million internationally on 1,594 screens, including strong openings in Australia, Brazil, Colombia, the Czech Republic, the Baltics, Finland, Hong Kong, Mexico, Panama, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, the U.K. and the West Indies.
Lionsgate noted that the SAW franchise is expected to top $500 million in worldwide box office by next week.
SAW IV, starring Tobin Bell as Jigsaw, is directed by Darren Lynn Bousman (SAW II, SAW III) from a screenplay by Marcus Dunston and Patrick Melton. The Twisted Pictures team of Mark Burg and Oren Koules produced the fourth installment with Daniel Jason Heffner, James Wan, Leigh Whannell, Stacey Testro, Lionsgate President of Acquisitions and Coproductions Peter Block and Lionsgate Senior Vice President, Acquisitions Jason Constantine serving as executive producers.
"The SAW franchise continues to rewrite the rule book for sustained performance and, thanks to the contributions of the filmmakers and the entire Lionsgate team, we expect it to remain a Halloween staple for years to come," said Tom Ortenberg, President of Lionsgate Theatrical Films.
"Talk about raising the bar -- or maybe we should say tightening the rack?" said Burg and Koules. "The incredible response to SAW IV shows that Darren Lynn Bousman, Tobin Bell and the entire cast and crew have outdone themselves in a way that would do Jigsaw proud. We could not be more impressed and delighted with their work, and that goes equally for our evil genius partners at Lionsgate, who have once again done an inspired job in marketing SAW IV. Finally, we owe our deep thanks to the millions of SAW fans who guard this franchise so faithfully -- they make us all want to give our best."
The blockbuster opening of SAW IV continues Lionsgate's recent string of box office successes, which has included the critically-acclaimed 3:10 TO YUMA, starring Russell Crowe and Christian Bale and directed by James Mangold, TYLER PERRY'S WHY DID I GET MARRIED?, starring Janet Jackson and Perry, who also directs, the comedy GOOD LUCK, CHUCK, starring Jessica Alba and Dane Cook, and the action film WAR, teaming Jason Statham and Jet Li.
Upcoming releases include RAMBO, starring and directed by Sylvester Stallone, the thriller THE EYE FROM CRUISE/WAGNER, starring Jessica Alba, the next Tyler Perry film, MEET THE BROWNS, starring Angela Bassett and Perry, and WITLESS PROTECTION, starring Larry The Cable Guy and Jenny McCarthy.
Lionsgate is the leading independent filmed entertainment studio, winning the 2006 Best Picture Academy Award (R) for CRASH, and the Company is a premier producer and distributor of motion pictures, television programming, home entertainment, family entertainment and video-on-demand content. Its prestigious and prolific library of nearly 12,000 motion picture titles and television episodes is a valuable source of recurring revenue and a foundation for the growth of the Company's core businesses. The Lionsgate brand is synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the globe.
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The matters discussed in this press release include forward-looking statements, including those regarding the timing of our upcoming film slate. Such statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual results in the future could differ materially and adversely from those described in the forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including the risk factors as set forth in Lionsgate's Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 30, 2007. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly release the result of any revisions to these forward-looking statements that may be made to reflect any future events or circumstances.
