How Saw became one of the most lucrative horror movie franchises of ALL TIME – despite original film having meager budget of just $1.2 million and almost NEVER making it to cinemas
- The first installment of Saw in 2004 was initially supposed to go straight to DVD
- But the original movie made $103 million with a budget of just $1.2 million
- The Saw franchise joined the billions club after the release of ninth film Spiral
The Saw movie franchise has spanned the course of almost two decades with billion-dollar success – and it will soon be making its return with tenth installment Saw X.
The financial feat is especially impressive considering how small the budgets are for each film.
The first movie was initially set to go straight to DVD but beat all odds when it earned $103 million globally on a $1.2 million budget.
The next two movies, Saw II and Saw III, proved to be even more successful – earning well over ten times their budgets.
The Saw movie franchise has spanned the course of almost two decades, turning into a billion-dollar success, despite an initial budget of just $1.2 million
Now, Tobin Bell is set to return as John for Saw X and the first photo of him from the film has dropped
The franchise saw a slight dip in Saw IV profits which continued to decrease with Saw V and Saw VI.
The Saw saga was seemingly going to end with the seventh movie Saw 3D, also dubbed Saw: The Final Chapter, which tied up the loose ends, revealing all the apprentices who took on Jigsaw’s name after John died.
However, it seems Jigsaw 3D’s uptick in box office sales inspired Saw producers Mark Burg and Oren Koules to continue with the prequel Jigsaw and spinoff Spiral.
Now, Tobin Bell is set to return as John for Saw X, with the tenth installment of the franchise slated to make its debut on September 29 – just in time for Halloween.
The underdog horror franchise continues to prevail thanks to its innovative and deeper level of storytelling.
‘When you have a concept and a world that is as developed and rich as Saw is, there are endless possibilities,’ Lionsgate president Jason Constantine said to Business Insider of the franchise.
This is precisely how it became a billion-dollar franchise off of a shoe string budget.
What is the Saw franchise about?
The horror franchise revolves around antagonist John Kramer (Tobin Bell) who goes by the identity of Jigsaw.
In each film, he brings victims to a torture palace filled with ‘tests.’ If the victim fails a test they are tortured in some gruesome fashion and it always results in death.
While his methods of torture are unspeakably cruel, he ends up becoming a somewhat sympathetic character.
Viewers find out he has terminal cancer and only captures immoral people such as rapists, corrupt police officers, abusers and murders.
The horror franchise revolves around antagonist John Kramer (Tobin Bell) who goes by the identity of Jigsaw. In each film, he brings victims to a torture palace filled with ‘tests’
Through his tests, he gives his victims a chance at redemption by assessing their will to live and ensuring that if they survive, they will have learned to appreciate the value in life
Through his tests, he gives them a chance at redemption by assessing their will to live and ensuring that if they survive, they will have learned to appreciate the value in life.
‘It’s a weird dynamic where people cheer and root for Jigsaw, but he’s not a vigilante,’ producer Koules said in his interview with Business Insider.
‘We always want to make sure that Jigsaw succeeds when the movie’s over,’ Burg added.
Even though John dies in Saw III – with his autopsy featured in Saw IV – he continues to appear from Saw IV through the eighth film, Jigsaw.
He shows up in the films either via flashback or after the true timelines are revealed.
There are also several apprentices who serve as the Jigsaw figure after John passes away.
John and all his apprentices give instructions to the tests via Billy the Puppet – a creepy doll that John intended to give to his unborn son before his wife suffered a miscarriage
Once he dies, he requests in his will that his estranged wife Jill Tuck to appoint previous victim Mark Hoffman as his successor who will eventually be tested again – and fail.
Dr. Lawrence Gordon administers this test and becomes the next.
In the film Jigsaw, it’s also revealed previous victim Logan Nelson had survived and played a role in tricking the police that John was still alive.
John and all his apprentices give instructions to the tests via Billy the Puppet – a creepy doll that John intended to give to his unborn son before his wife suffered a miscarriage.
John and Billy didn’t appear as Jigsaw in the film Spiral – as it’s revealed that there is a copycat killer, William Schenk.
The upcoming Saw X takes place in between Saw I and Saw II, while John is still alive.
The first Saw initially wasn’t meant to hit theaters
The 2004 film had a $1.2 million budget and made nearly one hundred times its budget, earning a whopping $103 million
Even though Saw went on to become a billion-dollar franchise, it initially wasn’t even supposed to see the big screen.
‘You don’t know how close Saw was to never getting a theatrical release,’ producer Burg told Business Insider.
Lionsgate, the distributor behind the franchise, was initially skeptical about the gruesome film.
They screen tested the 2004 film just outside of Los Angeles but were skeptical over how well-received it was.
‘They thought we brought in 200 of our closest friends because they didn’t think there was any way it could test so well,’ Burg said.
Even though Saw went on to become a billion-dollar franchise, it initially wasn’t even supposed to see the big screen
Lionsgate, the distributor behind the Saw franchise, was initially skeptical about the gruesome film
However, they brought the $1.2 million budget film to a location that wasn’t disclosed to the producers – which ended up being Las Vegas – and it tested even better.
Lionsgate president Jason Constantine chimed in, ‘That was the turning point to realize it could really be a theatrical movie.’
The film premiered in the UK first where it made $11 million – nearly ten times its budget.
It then opened in the US on Halloween weekend, premiering on October 29.
Once it hit the rest of the world, it made nearly one hundred times its budget, earning a whopping $103 million.
‘It crushed and gave everybody a lot more bravado about putting the movie in theaters and spending more money,’ Koules shared.
Saw II proved that the first film wasn’t a fluke and that the franchise had mileage
During its opening weekend, it made six times its budget, raking in $31 million and would go on to earn $152 million globally, over thirty times its budget
No one was prepared for the success of Saw, least of all the film’s writers – James Wan and Leigh Whannell.
‘I think James and I were thinking more of the first Saw film as a demo reel for our next film than anything,’ Whannell told AV Club in 2010.
‘Far from thinking of what should the sequels be about, we thought that we would probably make the film and then be carting that around on a DVD trying to get people to watch it.
‘So we just really didn’t think ahead.’
But, after the success of Saw, Lionsgate gave the green light for a sequel.
Still cautious that they couldn’t strike gold twice, they kept the budget at a modest $5 million.
After the success of Saw, Lionsgate gave the green light for a sequel which was released in 2005
Saw II followed Detective Eric Matthews (Donnie Wahlberg) who is on the hunt for serial killer Jigsaw
Saw II followed Detective Eric Matthews (Donnie Wahlberg) who is on the hunt for serial killer Jigsaw.
They enter a house filled with nerve gas in pursuit of eight victims, one of whom is Matthews’ son, but are forced to endure John’s test in a bid to put an end to his madness.
Film bosses followed the same pattern as the first, releasing it at Halloween in 2005.
During its opening weekend, it made six times its budget, raking in $31 million.
It would go on to earn $152 million globally, over thirty times its budget.
‘I don’t think any of us knew when Saw II came out what it would do,’ the film’s director Darren Lynn Bousman told Business Insider.
‘It wasn’t a franchise at that point. It wasn’t until Saw II made money that the intensity started.’
‘You can’t have a franchise unless the second movie works,’ Constantine added.
Saw becomes a hit horror franchise with increasingly gruesome installments
Lionsgate quickly realized they had a hit franchise and released Saw III in 2006
Lionsgate quickly realized they had a hit franchise on their hands after Saw II ended up making even more money than the first.
They ended up releasing another five installments with the seventh film meant to be the ‘final chapter.’
Saw III, which was released in 2006, features a new victim of Jigsaw’s, Dr. Lynn Denlon (Bahar Soomekh) who is tasked with keeping the near-dead John alive while Amanda, a survivor from his tests in the first Saw, tests John’s potential new apprentice.
Saw III features a new victim of Jigsaw’s, Dr. Lynn Denlon (Bahar Soomekh) who is tasked with keeping the near-dead John alive
The budget for Saw III doubled from Saw II’s $5 million to $10 million – and it brought it big profits
The budget for Saw III doubled from Saw II’s $5 million to $10 million – and it brought it big profits.
The film had the highest box office sales of the franchise, earning $163 million globally.
During an interview with Discussing Film, he expressed how impressed he was with the franchise’s success.
‘First off, if you look at a lot of movies that went from I to II, whether it be Texas Chainsaw, The Grudge, whatever it is – most times, the sequels drop off,’ said Bousman.
‘Saw II we raised. So I think we were able to show, right away, there’s something different here with the Saw films. Then with Saw III we did it again.’
Bousman attributed the success of the franchise to not only their efficiency in making the first three films but the signature Saw tropes that fans have come to love.
Saw IV was was green lit in 2007 with Bousman revealing he wasn’t ‘concerned’ about the film’s success considering how ‘someway we’ve [found] the loophole to sequels dropping off’
‘I think that a couple of things make Saw continue to work. First off, we proved ourselves right away on II. II came back and it helped us with III,’ he told the outlet.
‘But there’s a lot of things people can relate to in the Saw films, and I hate to call them gimmicks, but there’s a lot of things people come to expect: the twists, the traps, the puppet, the Jigsaw soliloquy.
‘There are al l these things that – love or hate it – you know you’re going to get when you go into a Saw film. I think that’s built in a huge fan base.’
He also pointed out that unlike plenty of horror films, Saw movies have a deeper message – like the one featured in Saw III.
‘There are themes in the Saw films that a lot of horror films don’t have. There are messages,’ he shared.
‘In Saw III it was about vengeance versus forgiveness. It’s not just gore for the sake of gore; there are message in there, and I think that’s really helped us.’
Continuing in the Halloween weekend release pattern, Saw IV proves that John can keep up his antics even from the grave
Saw IV is where the franchise started to see a slight dip in profits – the film raked in $135 million globally, $28 million less than Saw III
Saw IV was was green lit in 2007 with Bousman revealing he wasn’t ‘concerned’ about the film’s success considering how ‘someway we’ve [found] the loophole to sequels dropping off.’
Whannell and Wan stepped away as writers of the franchise and were replaced by duo Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton for Saw IV, V, VI and 3D.
Continuing in the Halloween weekend release pattern, Saw IV proves that John can keep up his antics even from beyond the grave.
During his autopsy, a tape is discovered in which he reveals the tests will continue as SWAT Lt Daniel Rigg (Lyriq Bent) is forced to go through the torture tests to rescue two of his colleagues.
Saw IV is where the franchise started to see a slight dip in profits. Even though the film stuck with its previous $10 million budget, it made less at the box office.
The film raked in $135 million globally, $28 million less than Saw III. Many viewers felt that while introducing flashbacks that explained John’s past, there weren’t too many new elements added to the already played out tropes.
Regardless, the profits were still high enough for Lionsgate to green light Saw V which was released in 2008.
Regardless of the dip in box office numbers from Saw IV, the profits were still high enough for Lionsgate to green light Saw V (2008)
The fifth film, which is perceived by many as the worst, showed suspicion being directed towards John’s apprentice who selects five new victims to torture
This time David Hackl – who had been working with the franchise from the start – stepped in to direct the fifth installment.
The fifth film, which is perceived by many as the worst, showed suspicion being directed towards John’s apprentice who selects five new victims to torture.
Despite fear that the franchise was getting lazy, Saw V did still make big profits thanks to its loyal fanbase, earning $118 million off its $10.8 million budget.
Unlike the other films, Saw VI from 2006 may have had a premature renewal.
In order to get Kevin Greutert to edit Saw V, Greutert made a deal with producers that he would direct Saw VI – meaning that they already knew there would be a VI while working on V.
During the sixth film, Hoffman remains the undefeated Jigsaw but as he is pursued by the FBI, he is forced to unleash a game that reveals John’s initial intent and grand scheme
Saw VI stepped up the franchise’s game and was applauded by critics as the smartest sequel of the entire franchise – but box office numbers did not reflect it
There were even rumors going around that they were filming Saw V and VI back-to-back, but Hackl debunked those rumors while speaking with Movieweb.
He admitted that was the initial plan but they didn’t want to have to rush the process.
During the sixth film, Hoffman remains the undefeated Jigsaw but as he is pursued by the FBI, he is forced to unleash a game that reveals John’s initial intent and grand scheme.
Saw VI stepped up the franchise’s game and was applauded by critics as the smartest sequel of the entire franchise – but box office numbers did not reflect it.
It was the first Saw film to make less than $100 million – earning an all-time-low of $69 million with an $11 million budget.
At this point, Lionsgate and the creative team decided that the next film would be the last in the franchise, labeling it Saw 3D or Saw: The Final Chapter, for release in 2010.
Lionsgate and the creative team decided that the next film would be the last in the franchise, labeling it Saw 3D or Saw: The Final Chapter, for release in 2010
Saw 3D picks up with discourse over John’s legacy and grand scheme while Hoffman seeks revenge against John’s wife Jill and faux Jigsaw survivor Bobby
Greutert was brought on board once again, as well as writing duo Melton and Dunstan, to finish out the franchise.
Saw 3D picks up with discourse over John’s legacy and grand scheme while Hoffman seeks revenge against John’s wife Jill and faux Jigsaw survivor Bobby.
And, with fans desperate to see how the great saga would end, Saw 3D amassed $133 million – although it had a higher budget than ever before of $17 million.
After seven years, the Saw franchise had come to an end. Or so fans thought.
The Saw revival leads to the franchise reaching the coveted billions club
Seven years after the Saw saga came to an end, the franchise decided to launch a comeback in 2017
Seven years after the Saw saga came to an end, the franchise decided to launch a comeback.
Feeling that there was more juice left in the tank after Saw 3D’s box office success, Lionsgate approved a Saw prequel dubbed Jigsaw (2017).
This time the ‘secret latest Saw draft’ was helmed by brothers Michael and Peter Spierig after being written by Josh Stolberg and Pete Goldfinger.
The torture elements of the film Jigsaw happen ten years prior to its real-time events – which represent the beginning of John’s career as the serial killer.
Meanwhile, in present time, detectives are working to stop the gruesome crimes which they believe are happening in real time.
The torture elements of the film Jigsaw happen ten years prior to its real-time events – which represent the beginning of John’s career as the serial killer
Meanwhile, in present time, detectives are working to stop the gruesome crimes which they believe are happening in real time
After the success of Saw 3D, fans were excited to see the franchise return and flocked to the theaters.
While Jigsaw did not make as much as Saw 3D, it did earn an impressive $104 million.
This inspired the studio to introduce a spinoff series titled Spiral.
Chris Rock approached the studio, along with producers Burg and Koules, expressing he wanted to get involved with horror.
Bousman, from Saw II, III and IV, also returned, inspired by the idea of a new, innovative take on the franchise.
‘His take was, “I bet a Saw film would work a lot better if there was just one or two jokes. Just one or two, that’s it,”‘ he said of Rock’s approach to Screen Rant.
‘And that’s how it started. That seedling of an idea turned into what Spiral was.’
It didn’t take much convincing to get Bousman back.
‘I’ve been trying to come back in the franchise for years now, and my whole mantra was, “Let’s do something unexpected,”‘ he told the outlet.
‘I think that the unexpected part of this was going to a completely different audience, first off. It was getting away from the gimmicky violence.’
He added: ‘Then it was putting [in] two icons, two titans, like Chris Rock and Samuel Jackson.’
Thus, Spiral: From the Book of Saw was born before being released in 2021.
Chris Rock approached the studio, along with producers Burg and Koules, expressing he wanted to get involved with horror
In this film, Detective Ezekiel Banks (Rock) looks into a series of murders that are eerily similar to those of Jigsaw’s and finds himself in a torture game reminiscent of John’s
In this film, Detective Ezekiel Banks (Rock) looks into a series of murders that are eerily similar to those of Jigsaw’s and finds himself in a torture game reminiscent of John’s.
The film, lacking the franchise’s Saw title and breaking away from its Halloween release date, did not do nearly as well at the box office.
After a postponed release date due to the coronavirus pandemic, it hit theaters on May 14, 2021.
With the highest budget yet of $20 million, it only made $39 million at the box office.
Even though Spiral didn’t make as much compared to its predecessors, it was still enough to push the film into the billions club – which is quite a feat for the horror franchise.
‘Hitting the $1 billion mark in global box office is a huge deal for any franchise, but in the horror genre it’s almost elusive,’ said Paul Dergarabedian, the Comscore senior media analyst.
‘The Saw franchise clearly struck a chord with audiences around the world.’
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