After a four-year hiatus, the Saw franchise returned earlier this month with Spiral: From the Book of Saw. The film series’ latest installment stars Chris Rock as Detective Zeke Banks, and it’s one of the biggest movies to play on the big screen since the COVID-19 pandemic sidelined the movie theater business. However, if you’re not interested in watching Spiral in a theatrical setting, you’ll be able to watch the horror movie in the comfort of your own home starting next week.
Lionsgate has announced that next Tuesday, June 1, Spiral: From the Book of Saw will be available for digital rental. So once June is underway, if you finally feel the hankering to watch Spiral, but don’t want to go to the movie theater, just scour through your digital platform of choice. A specific price for the rental wasn’t provided, though if it’s anything like other movies that have come to digital quickly after their theatrical release, or just sent straight to PVOD, I’m guessing it’ll be around $20.
So why is Spiral: From the Book of Saw heading to digital so soon after it premiered in theaters? No official reason was provided, but it undoubtedly has to due with the pandemic. Yes, movie theaters have started reopening over the last couple months, albeit with new health and safety measures in place, such as the theaters operating at reduced capacity to allow for social distancing. But even with the vaccine rollout, we’re still a ways off from everyday life returning to what it was like in the Before Times, and there are plenty of folks who aren’t comfortable just yet stepping back into movie theaters just yet, even with a lot of other high profile films heading to a big screen near you soon, like A Quiet Place: Part II and F9.
So at least making Spiral: From the Book of Saw available to rent digitally allows for Lionsgate to accumulate some extra coins for its coffers. Since coming out on May 14, Spiral has made approximately $23 million worldwide, and obviously it’s hard to say how the movie would have done at this point if the coronavirus wasn’t a concern. Nevertheless, Spiral did push the Saw franchise past a key milestone: crossing the $1 billion mark.
Spiral: From the Book of Saw sees Chris Rock’s Zeke Banks and his police cohorts attempting to stop a Jigsaw copycat killer. The cast also includes Samuel L. Jackson, Max Minghella, Marisol Nichols, Zoie Palmer and Genelle Williams. Darren Lynn Bouseman, who directed the second, third and fourth Saw movies, reprised his helming duties for Spiral, and Josh Stolberg and Peter Goldfinger wrote the script.
As for what’s next for the Saw franchise, it was confirmed that Saw X is already in the works. However, it hasn’t been revealed yet if the 10th Saw movie will be a direct follow-up to Spiral or if it will instead connect to the events of 2017’s Jigsaw. It was also reported that same month that there are early talks about making a Saw TV series.
We here at CinemaBlend will keep you apprised on more new concerns Spiral and the entire Saw franchise. Learn what movies are arriving later in the year with our 2021 release schedule.
