Already the most profitable horror film series of all-time, Lionsgate’s “Saw” franchise is likely to also lay claim to the title of highest-grossing with the release of its fifth installment today.
Only $62.3 million separates the “Saw” franchise from the “Friday the 13th” series, which currently ranks as the box-office horror king. “Friday” has brought in a total of $347.8 million over the course of 10 movies, according to Media by Numbers.
If “Saw V” performs in line with the previous four films, which collected between $55 million and $87 million each at the box office, the franchise should surpass “Friday the 13th” by the time its theatrical run is over.
Even more impressive is that all of the “Saw” films have been made for less than $11 million each.
No other popular horror-film franchise – including “Halloween,” “Nightmare on Elm Street,” and “Scream” – has broken the $300 million threshold at the box office.
That the “Saw” series is able to overtake “Friday the 13th” for the top spot with only half the number of releases speaks to the recent popularity of so-called “torture porn.”
“I knew I made it when Bob Weinstein made ‘Halloween (2007)’ and released it in September,” said co-creator Mark Burg of Twisted Pictures, referring to the fact that the “Saw” franchise has owned the late-October box office for the last five years.