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Tom Macy: This demographic just ain't big enough for the both of us" said the [insert underdog metaphor] Paranormal Activity as it squared off against the [insert formidable opponent metaphor] Saw VI. It's hard to put the outcome in perspective. I can't say I'm shocked. The buzz has been deafening even to my no horror at all costs ears. In terms of ranking it against other upsets I honestly can't find a comparison. I can recall big surprises, such as 300 opening much bigger than anticipated. But upsets? King Kong losing out to Chronicles of Narnia? But those films were much more evenly matched going in. The Blair Witch Project wasn't even #1 when it went wide. That twig piling menace wasn't bad enough to stop Julia Roberts and Richard Gere in Runaway Bride. More and more I'm thinking this may be unprecedented. An $11,000 film not just beating but clobbering an entry of a major franchise, of the same genre no less, in its opening weekend? Can anyone else think of something comparable?

David Mumpower: I can think of an $11,000 film that earned this much, but it wasn't a studio release. It co-starred Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee.

This could only be better if real porn had beaten the torture porn

Kim Hollis: Saw VI suffered through a franchise low $14.1 million opening. Did Lionsgate do anything wrong here or is this just a case of the new big thing making an older product look stale?





Josh Spiegel: Seeing as Lionsgate marketed Saw VI in the same way that they've been marketing in the other films in the franchise, it's all about the latter option. The people who have been going to see the films in the Saw franchise have been doing so over the last couple of years because, come Halloween, that's the only scary movie at the multiplex. Then comes along Paranormal Activity, not only another scary movie, but one that's completely different in style and tone from the Saw movies. I hope people are finally getting tired of the franchise, but if it wasn't for Paranormal Activity, we probably would be looking at another number-one win for Saw.

Tim Briody: Yes, the concept is a little tired, but a month ago we all still had this penciled in for a $30 million opening, as every film from Saw II to Saw V has done. Yes, the final grosses have seen diminishing returns but the openings stayed the same. Saw VI was unfortunately kneecapped by a once or twice a decade phenomenon.

Sean Collier: Nothing new, nothing different, Saw just got blindsided by Paranormal Activity. Considering no one could have possibly seen this coming, they can't be blamed. Future unopposed Saw films will probably come closer to the $30 million range the franchise is accustomed to, but the floodgates may open up now that studios see that Saw can be beaten at Halloween. Nevertheless, even this one made its budget back in one weekend, so there's no reason for them to be discouraged.

Jim Van Nest: I agree with the group on this one: wrong place, wrong time for Saw VI. I'd like to take this time to point out that there's probably a lot of franchises that would kill for a $14 million weekend from the sixth installment.

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