After a desolate 2020 summer box office season, 2021 is hoping to come back guns ablazing… or more accurately, saws a-cutting. One day after Disney decided to move Black Widow from May to later this summer, Lionsgate has moved Spiral: From The Book of Saw up in the theatrical calendar to early May.
The horror movie starring Chris Rock and Samuel L. Jackson has been officially moved up two weeks, from May 28 to May 14, per Lionsgate. The announcement was made Wednesday by the studio’s president distribution David Spitz, who said the following:
We know that Saw fans, as well as those experiencing their first Saw adventure, will be on the edge of their seats with this thrilling new film. We are proud to support the exhibitors with one of our most eagerly awaited films. We are confident this film will kick off a robust summer moviegoing season.
Spiral: From the Book of Saw will now be one of the first franchise heavy-hitters to come to theaters during the summer movie season. That said, it's Guy Ritchie and Jason Statham’s Wrath of Man that has beaten out Spiral for the first official slot of the summer season. The action flick about a mysterious man who works for a cash truck company will reunite the Snatch collaborators in theaters on May 7.
As Lionsgate has recently done with its other recent big-budget titles Chaos Walking and The Courier, Spiral will exclusively be a theatrical release, as opposed to Black Widow, which is now coming both to theaters and for $30 at home with Disney+ Premier Access on July 9. The new Saw film likely moved out of its May 28 slot to get out of the way of Cruella and A Quiet Place Part II, which now seem (finally) cemented to be coming out during Memorial Day weekend.
Within the announcement made by Lionsgate’s David Spitz, the president said the decision to move Spiral up was related to more theaters opening in the New York City and Los Angeles markets earlier this month. NYC and LA’s path toward reopening more businesses amidst the COVID-19 pandemic has inspired more confidence in studios after over a year of theater closures. At the same time, theaters are open at limited capacities, so staggering big horror releases like the Quiet Place sequel and Spiral is a smart decision on Lionsgate’s part.
Spiral: From the Book of Saw will follow Chris Rock as a brash detective and Samuel L. Jackson as his esteemed police veteran father as Rock’s character gets enamored in an investigation into murders that will connect with the Saw franchise’s infamous villain. Check out Spiral in theaters on May 14 and check out the full 2021 release schedule here on CinemaBlend.
