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Saw XVI: The Tools Strike Back

Kim Hollis: Saw VII and Saw VIII have already been announced. Do you expect further slippage or do you think these outings can redeem the franchise? Also, if it were your call, would you delay the release from the expected October 2010 date?

Josh Spiegel: Well, now my day's worse. I'd been aware of Saw VII, but not a Saw VIII. It's hard to tell if there will be more slippage for the series; considering that the last movie made twice as much in its opening weekend, the drop-off could be a bit of a fluke. I think that the success of Paranormal Activity, though, may clue other studios into the fact that the Saw franchise may soon fall apart. In this case, I think the only way to kill off this series is to provide heavy competition.

Tim Briody: I don't know if it'll jump back up to the $30 million mark but as long as there isn't a Paranormal Activity II released this time next year, I think the films will be okay. Saw VI is still already profitable, by the way.

Sean Collier: They're so cheap, there's not really a reason to stop until, say, a $6 million opening or thereabouts. And I certainly wouldn't delay - this is a franchise that could lose fan interest in a heartbeat, so they need to stay constantly present.





Michael Lynderey: How many of this decade's horror sequels finished with $30 million or less, but were still followed by another theatrically-released sequel? The answer is none (although you could count Freddy vs. Jason following up Jason X as an understandable exception). That said, if I were Lionsgate, I'd actually go ahead with a Saw VII for next October, make it in the oft-suggested 3D, and sell it like the last entry in the series - this time for real - wrapping up all the loose ends and giving this whole gory story a definitive ending. If that's the game plan, they may get their last hurrah yet - and Saw VII could save face. One way or the other, though, I do not expect to see a Saw VIII released in October 2011. It's just not going to happen. Not after this weekend.

Jim Van Nest: I don't switch up the release date on one of these until it tanks on its own. If I'm the studio, I look at this as a fluke and I continue on the same path that has gotten me here. I think the days of the $30 million opening may be in the rearview mirror for Saw, but I see no reason (other than the aforementioned Paranormal Activity II) that Saw VII won't be able to reclaim its #1 spot next Halloween.

Tom Macy: I wouldn't delay them. One of the strengths of the Saw franchise has been its consistent shoving of itself in the faces of movie-goers. It's almost like people are bullied into seeing them. This year, however, was the first time horror lovers had a choice of where to get their kicks from. I look at this situation like the plot of Forces of Nature. The movie-goer is Ben Affleck, in a stale relationship with Maura Tierney, or the Saw franchise. But he doesn't know the relationship is stale until Sandra Bullock – Paranormal Activity - comes along. In the end, though, Paranormal Activity, while new and exciting, doesn't sustain that initial excitement. Affleck then realizes the nice comfortable companionship he had with Maura Tierney – Saw - is really what he wanted all along.

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