Summary
Jigsawhas become a streaming hit on Netflix. The 2017 horror movie was a legacy sequel and the eighth movie in theSawfranchise, coming seven years after the previous installment. It featured the return of Tobin Bell as the killer Jigsaw alongside a new cast of characters investigating a series of grisly murders. Despite grossing $104.2 million against a budget of $10 million, it failed to produce a direct sequel, as it was later followed by the 2021 spinoffSpiral: From the Book of Sawand the 2023 prequelSaw X.
Netflixhas now calculated their Top 10 most-watched movies in the United States for the week of July 1 through July 7.Jigsawhas landed on the chart at No. 9, coming in ahead of the Oscar-winning dramaThe Blind Side. The horror movie has managed to take a spot on the chart despite the Top 10 largely being populated with hit Netflix originals and popular acquired movies that have been charting on the platform for many weeks, includingThe Super Mario Bros. Movie,Shrek, andMinions.
Is Saw Finally Back On Top?
The Horror Franchise Hit A Rough Patch In The 2010s
This success on Netflix could be a sign of general rehabilitation for theSawmovies. After dominating theaters throughout the 2000s,the franchise hit a rough patch after seemingly ending in 2010withSaw 3D. WhileJigsawattempted to revive the franchise, it ultimately had a lukewarm reception in 2017. It became the third lowest-grossing installment at the time, in addition to the fifth lowest-rated on Rotten Tomatoes with a 33% score. Its release was bookended by the spectacular failure of theSaw10th anniversary re-release andSpiralbecoming the lowest-grossing installment in 2021 despite an improved Rotten Tomatoes score.
TheSawre-release on Halloween 2014 debuted with $650,051, which marked the third-lowest wide release opening weekend of all time.
The prospects of theSawfranchise didn’t begin to turn around until 2023 with the release ofSaw X, which follows Jigsaw’s exploits between the events of the original movie and 2005’sSaw II. In addition to earning $111.8 million against a $13 million budget, the movie earned a Certified Fresh Rotten Tomatoes score of 80% on top of being the only movie in the 10-film series to ever earn a Fresh score on the platform. That critical and commercial reception combined is likely what led theupcomingSaw XIto be greenlit.
The Netflix success ofJigsawseems to show that the movie is riding high in the wake of the success ofSaw X. This could indicate a general increase in interest in the franchise as a whole rather than a specific appreciation for the new installment. Should that be the case, the 2017 movie may be re-evaluated in the context of everything that came before and after and be better folded into the overall franchise in future installments.
Jigsaw
Cast
Jigsaw: Released in 2017, Jigsaw is a continuation of the Saw franchise, where law enforcement officials are perplexed as they pursue the mysterious orchestrator of a series of gruesome murders. Despite evidence that suggests the culprit is the long-dead John Kramer, a notorious mastermind, the investigation reveals a new deadly game is underway.
