On November 6th, a new week kicked off, and the low-budget horror flick Saw was set to screen on 17 screens across 867 theaters nationwide.
The expansion wasn't as big as some had hoped, but for a movie the Motion Picture Association nearly axed, it was a miracle it even made it to mainstream commercial theaters!
Alongside some second- and third-tier ads and write-ups, this B-movie started popping up in legit publications like Film Review, The Hollywood Reporter, and Total Film. It was stepping into the spotlight, catching the eyes of real movie buffs.
Of course, the stills they ran with the articles oozed that oppressive, suffocating horror vibe.
"New director, new team, new company—Saw dares you to test your limits!"
"If you've got the guts, check out Saw! It might not be the scariest horror movie ever, but it's easily top three. Its philosophical depth and themes blow most slapdash B-movies out of the water."
"This isn't just a twisted killing game—it's a philosophical debate about life. Newcomer Zack Snyder delivers a chilling value clash with Saw."
"If you're a horror fan, don't sleep on this—Saw is a must-see!"
"No doubt about it, Saw is a hit, and Dunn's involvement makes you think. Everyone knows Miramax is Hollywood's indie king, and Dimension Films rules low-budget gems. But Dunn's Focus Features and Madhouse Films? They're gunning for Harvey Weinstein's turf."
…
Fueled by a mix of ads and legit reviews, Saw's buzz kept spreading. Its approval rating dipped a bit but still held strong at 80%—unheard of for a B-movie!
That translated into box office gold…
Monday: $1.08 million. Tuesday: $890,000. Wednesday: $770,000. Thursday: $640,000…
With a new weekend looming, Saw's North American haul had already smashed past $4 million!
On the weekly box office chart, this $1.5 million B-movie trailed only Cameron Diaz and Drew Barrymore's action blockbuster Charlie's Angels, Adam Sandler's Little Nicky, and Robert De Niro and Charlize Theron's Men of Honor.
Sure, Saw's numbers didn't quite match the top dogs, but it beat out Warner's action-thriller Red Planet, which opened in 2,703 theaters. That alone proved its box office chops!
Low budget? Who cares?
If Dunn's name was on it, it owned the charts!
As for Miramax's attempt to cash in on Jackie Chan's hype with an old Hong Kong flick, Drunken Master? Couldn't even crack the top 50!
Another weekend was coming, and Saw's heat was only going to climb.
As Disney's top dog, Michael Eisner usually kept his eye on big-picture strategy—except when it came to Dunn.
Even a $1.5 million B-movie like Saw had him telling his assistant to track it and report back constantly.
When he got the latest Saw box office numbers, Eisner went quiet.
He saw the writing on the wall. Disney had pulled some strings to cap Saw's theater count, but the movie was thriving in the cracks, growing unstoppable.
Next week, the screening scale would shift again. By then, a full-blown Saw rollout would be inevitable—beyond even Harvey Weinstein's reach.
"Why? Why does every movie he touches turn to gold?"
Eisner had wrestled with that question a dozen times and still couldn't pin it down.
Even a legend like Steven Spielberg flopped sometimes. DreamWorks' struggles weren't just external pressure—internal instability played a big part too.
But Dunn Films?
Total freak show!
Dunn's strategy looked impulsive, simplistic—pros shook their heads at his film investments.
A startup daring to churn out multiple blockbusters in a year?
Back in the day, Twentieth Century Fox poured everything into Titanic. Now, Disney's production arm was all-in on Pearl Harbor.
Dunn Films, though? They dropped $200 million for James Cameron to burn through on Unsinkable, then threw cash at Ang Lee, Luc Besson, and Tim Burton like it was nothing.
Just days ago, Dunn Films and Focus Features dropped a bombshell: they were sinking $120 million into Martin Scorsese's historical epic!
It was a middle finger to Hollywood's investment playbook!
And the result?
Saw was barreling down that bizarre, explosive path that seemed nuts to everyone but par for the course for Dunn.
The guy was a total weirdo!
"No clue if Unbreakable can hold up under Saw's pressure," Eisner muttered to himself. Oddly, he almost hoped Saw would blow up huge.
Unbreakable wasn't out for another two weeks. If Saw burned through its hype and hit box office saturation by then, it wouldn't threaten Disney's flick.
Just then, his assistant knocked and stepped in, looking grim. "Boss, it's about a movie."
"Saw tickets selling like crazy?" Eisner chuckled, waving it off. "No big deal. If it's good, people buy tickets—simple. Tell Harvey next week we're not just lifting restrictions on Saw's screenings—we're helping it expand!"
The assistant frowned, hesitating.
"What's up?"
"It's our movie."
"Unbreakable?"
"Yeah. A bunch of papers and magazines are running stories."
Eisner grinned. "That's great! We can ride Saw's horror wave—might spark a scare trend and boost Unbreakable."
"No, this isn't our PR plan!" the assistant said, wincing.
"Huh?" Eisner's brow shot up, sensing trouble. "What's going on?"
The assistant grimaced. "It's all over the tabloids—Bruce Willis, Unbreakable's star, split with his girlfriend Brooke Burns. Rumor is… she wasn't happy with his bedroom skills…"
Eisner exploded. "What did you say?"
…
In another room, Joe Roth was on his phone, tearing into Bruce Willis. "Bruce, are you out of your mind? Divorced a month ago and you hook up with a girl 26 years younger? Fine, go for youth—but did you forget how old you are? You think your body's as tough as it looks?"
"I busted my ass pulling strings to clean up your divorce mess, and now you pull this? Think people aren't laughing at you enough? Hah—dumped for sucking in bed? Bruce, where's your dignity gonna hide now?"
"You idiot, you're screwing me over! If this tanks Unbreakable's box office, you're done—out of Hollywood! Damn it, casting you was the biggest mistake of my life!"
After unloading, Joe hung up, fury boiling over.
"Who's trying to ruin me?"
He bellowed it out in his office, venting.
Dunn, maybe?
Could be—their beef ran deep, no chance of patching it up.
But Dunn was stretched thin lately, bouncing coast to coast, too busy to even date starlets. Would he bother with a petty stunt like this?
Joe's brows knitted, his face sour.
It felt like…
Unbreakable, his lifeline, was slipping further out of reach.
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