‘Jigsaw’ cuts down ‘Suburbicon’
Clooney-helmed feature takes in only $2.8M, despite wide release
NEW YORK — George Clooney’s “Suburbicon” notched one of the most dismal wide-release debuts in recent years on a sluggish pre-Halloween weekend where the horror sequel “Jigsaw” topped all releases despite an underperforming debut.
The eighth “Saw” film landed at No. 1 with $16.3 million in North American ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.
“Jigsaw” distributor Lionsgate also claimed the No. 2 spot with $10 million in the second week of release for “Tyler Perry’s Boo 2! A Madea Halloween.”
Made for about $10 million, “Jigsaw” comes seven years after the notoriously gruesome franchise — famously dubbed “torture porn” — bid adieu with “Saw 3D: The Final Chapter.”
Critics weren’t happy to see its return, giving “Jigsaw” a 39 percent Rotten Tomatoes score. Opening-weekend moviegoers also weren’t overwhelmed, giving the film a modest B CinemaScore.
But that rating still easily surpassed the D-minus grade that greeted Clooney’s latest directorial effort. Despite debuting on more than 2,000 screens, “Suburbicon” managed just $2.8 million, making it one of Paramount Pictures’ worst performing wide-releases ever and marking a new boxoffice low for Clooney as a director and star Matt Damon.
“Suburbicon,” which debuted at the Venice Film Festival, was crafted as a fusion between an old Joel and Ethan Coen homeinvasion comedy script and a more pointed satire of racism in a 1959 suburb. Critics didn’t respond well to the mix, either; its Rotten Tomatoes score is just 26 percent fresh.
Paramount paid $10 million for domestic distribution rights for the The Miles Teller PTSD drama “Thank You For Your Service,” directed by “American Sniper” writer Jason Hall, also opened weakly with $3.7 million in 2,054 theaters for DreamWorks and Universal.
“Thor: Ragnarok” began its worldwide rollout. The Disney release grossed $107.6 million internationally from about 52 percent of the marketplace. The “Thor” sequel opens in North America, China and elsewhere on Friday.