Just as I was dredding, Saw III sliced it’s way to the top of the box office this weekend with an impressive $34 million, topping Saw II’s opening by around $3 million which is a rarity in horror franchises.

The movie cost less than $10 million to make, so it’s well on it’s way for making a very handsome profit for Lionsgate… and yes it means that we will once again find Saw in our cinema’s next Halloween.

The Departed once again stayed in second place taking in just under $10 million boosting it’s gross up to an impressive $91 million. The movie should now beat out The Aviator’s gross of $102 million domestic when it finishes it’s run, making it Scorsese’s highest grossing movie ever.

With no other big releases this week, The Prestige managed to take in $9.6 million coming in at third and Eastwood’s Flags of our Fathers dropped to fourth taking in $6.3 million, a huge disapointment for the war picture that has only taken just under $20 million on a $90 million budget.

The limited release Babel made $336,000 in only 7 theatres taking an average of $52,285 per theatre before getting a slightly wider release next week. Sofia Copoola’s Marie Antoinette has to be considered a flop taking in under $10 million over two weeks on a budget of $40 million even with it’s limited release.

Estimated top ten for weekend of October 27-29:

Title Weekend Gross Budget

1. Saw III – $34,300,000 ($34,300,000) ($10,000,000)

2. The Departed – $9,840,000 ($91,090,000) ($90,000,000)

3. The Prestige – $9,626,000 ($28,834,0000) ($40,000,000)

4. Flags of Our Fathers – $6,350,000 ($19,926,000) ($90,000,000)

5. Open Season – $6,100,000 ($77,357,000) ($85,000,000)

6. Flicka – $4,975,000 ($14,138,000) ($15,000,000)

7. Man of the Year – $4,714,000 ($28,871,000) budget undisclosed

8. The Grudge 2 – $3,300,000 ($36,016,000) ($20,000,000)

9. Marie Antoinette – $2,850,000 ($9,756,000) ($40,000,000)

10. Running with Scissors – $2,550,000 ($2,884,000) budget undisclosed

OPENING NEXT WEEK:

Borat, Flushed Away, Volver, The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause,

source – box office mojo