''Saw III'' is a 2006
horror film
Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...
directed by
Darren Lynn Bousman
Darren Lynn Bousman (; born January 11, 1979) is an American film director and screenwriter, best known for his work in horror films. He has directed four of the ''Saw (franchise), Saw'' films: ''Saw II'', ''Saw III'', ''Saw IV'', and ''Spiral ( ...
from a screenplay by
Leigh Whannell
Leigh Whannell (; born 17 January 1977) is an Australian filmmaker and actor. He has written multiple films that were directed by his friend James Wan, including ''Saw (2004 film), Saw'' (2004), ''Dead Silence'' (2007), ''Insidious (film), Insid ...
and a story by Whannell and
James Wan
James Wan (born 26 February 1977) is an Australian filmmaker. He has primarily worked in the horror fiction, horror genre as the co-creator of the ''Saw (franchise), Saw'' and Insidious (film series), ''Insidious'' franchises and the creator of ...
. A sequel to ''
Saw II
''Saw II'' is a 2005 horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and written by Leigh Whannell and Bousman. It is the sequel to ''Saw (2004 film), Saw'' (2004) and the second installment in the Saw (franchise), ''Saw'' film series. The film sta ...
'' (2005) and the third installment in the
''Saw'' film series, it stars
Tobin Bell
Tobin Bell (born Joseph Henry Tobin Jr.; August 7, 1942) is an American actor. Appearing in over 100 titles during a five-decade career, he is most recognized for his role as John Kramer / Jigsaw in the ''Saw'' franchise.
Bell started his a ...
,
Shawnee Smith,
Angus Macfadyen
Angus Macfadyen (born 1963) is a Scottish actor. His roles include Robert the Bruce, both in ''Braveheart'' and ''Robert the Bruce'', Komodo in '' Warriors of Virtue'', Vice-Counsel Dupont in ''Equilibrium'', Jeff Denlon in the ''Saw'' franch ...
,
Bahar Soomekh
Bahar Soomekh () is an American former actress who later became a real estate agent. She is best known for her roles in '' Crash'' and the ''Saw'' franchise.
Early life and education
Bahar was born in Tehran, Iran, to a devout Persian-Jewish fam ...
, and
Dina Meyer
Dina Meyer (born December 22, 1968) is an American actress. She began her career appearing in a recurring role on the Fox teen drama series ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (1993–94), before landing a leading role opposite Keanu Reeves in the 1995 fi ...
.
In the film,
John Kramer (Bell), who is known as the Jigsaw Killer and forces his victims to participate in deadly games in order to test their will to live, puts a man named Jeff (Macfayden) through a series of tests of his ability to forgive, after Jeff's son was killed by a drunk driver. Meanwhile, John's apprentice
Amanda
Amanda is a Latin feminine gerundive (i.e. verbal adjective) name meaning, literally, "she who must (or is fit to) be loved". Other translations, with similar meaning, could be "deserving to be loved," "worthy of love," or "loved very much by ev ...
(Smith) has kidnapped a doctor named Lynn (Soomekh) and tasked her with keeping John, who is bedridden with terminal cancer, alive long enough for Jeff to complete his game.
Much like its predecessor, the film was immediately green-lit after the successful opening weekend of the prior film. Filming took place in
Toronto
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
from May to June 2006. Whannell aimed to make the story more emotional than previous installments, particularly with the Amanda and Jigsaw storyline. The film is dedicated to producer
Gregg Hoffman, who died on December 4, 2005.
''Saw III'' was released in the United States on , by
Lionsgate Films
Lionsgate Films (spelled as Lions Gate until 2005, and formerly Cinépix Film Properties until 1998) is a Canadian-American film production and distribution company founded in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on June 15, 1962. It was owned by Lionsga ...
. It was a financial success, opening to $33.6 million and grossing $80.2 million in the United States and Canada. It is the highest-grossing film of the series in the international market and the highest-grossing film in the series overall. It received negative reviews from critics. Bell was nominated for "Best Villain" at the
2007 MTV Movie Awards
The 2007 MTV Movie Awards took place on June 3, 2007 (June 4 in Europe) were hosted by Sarah Silverman. The ceremony featured performances by Rihanna featuring Jay-Z, who performed "Umbrella", and Amy Winehouse, who performed " Rehab". It was th ...
and the film received nominations for a
Saturn Award
The Saturn Awards are American awards presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The awards were created to honor science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, but have since grown to reward other films bel ...
as "Best Horror Film". The film was released to DVD and
Blu-ray
Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...
on where it topped the charts selling 2.5 million units in its first week. A sequel, ''
Saw IV
''Saw IV'' is a 2007 horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman from a screenplay by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan, and a story by Melton, Dunstan, and Thomas Fenton. A sequel to '' Saw III'' (2006) and the fourth installment in the ''Sa ...
'', was released in 2007.
Plot
After being imprisoned in the bathroom, Detective
Eric Matthews breaks his foot with a toilet lid to escape. Six months later, the scene of a Jigsaw game is discovered by Officer Rigg's
SWAT
A SWAT (''Special Weapons and Tactics'') team is a generic term for a police tactical unit within the United States, though the term has also been used by other nations.
SWAT units are generally trained, equipped, and deployed to res ...
team. The victim, Troy, had to rip chains from his body to escape a bomb. Detective Kerry points out that the room's exit was welded shut, breaking Jigsaw's
modus operandi
A (often shortened to M.O. or MO) is an individual's habits of working, particularly in the context of business or criminal investigations, but also generally. It is a Latin phrase, approximately translated as .
Term
The term is often used in ...
of allowing his victims an opportunity to survive. Kerry is abducted and awakens in a harness hooked into her ribs. She retrieves the key from a beaker of acid as instructed, but opening the lock does not keep the trap from killing her.
Dr. Lynn Denlon is abducted from the hospital she works at and brought to the now bedridden John Kramer. His apprentice, Amanda, locks a collar armed with five shotgun shells around Lynn's neck that is connected to John's heart rate monitor and will detonate if she moves out of range or John dies. Lynn is instructed by Amanda to keep him alive until another test subject has completed his game; the victim, Jeff, a grief-stricken father who was consumed with vengeance after the death of his son Dylan in a drunk driving crash years earlier, must undergo a series of tests at an abandoned
meatpacking plant
The meat-packing industry (also spelled meatpacking industry or meat packing industry) handles the slaughtering, processing, packaging, and distribution of meat from animals such as cattle, pigs, sheep and other livestock. Poultry is generally n ...
to confront those involved in the case.
Jeff's first test leads him into a meat freezer where he finds Danica, the only witness to the crash (who refused to testify in court) completely naked and chained to a metal frame inside the plant's freezer, with nozzles inside the frame spraying her with water to quicken her hypothermia. Jeff retrieves the key after Danica persuades him to help her, but she freezes to death before he can do so. In his next test, Judge Halden, who passed a lenient sentence on the driver who caused Dylan's death, is chained at the neck to the bottom of a vat. Rotting pig carcasses are dropped into a grinder that slowly fill the vat until Jeff saves him by burning Dylan's belongings in an incinerator to retrieve a key. His third test involves Timothy, the driver who killed Dylan, who is strapped to a machine that will slowly twist and snap his limbs and then his head. The key is tied to the trigger of an enclosed shotgun that goes off after Jeff retrieves it, killing Halden. Jeff cries out twice that he forgives Timothy, but even so, he cannot save him in time; the machine twists and breaks Timothy's neck.
Lynn is forced to perform an improvised surgery to relieve pressure on John's brain. The surgery is successful, and Lynn convinces John to order Amanda to remove the collar. However, Amanda refuses and threatens Lynn's life, having become jealous of her interactions with John. John pleads with Amanda, who admits that she no longer believes in his philosophy and had rigged Troy and Kerry's traps. Refusing to listen to John's warnings, Amanda shoots Lynn just as Jeff arrives. Jeff, who is revealed to be Lynn's husband, retaliates by shooting Amanda with a gun provided by John after his tests. As Amanda dies, John reveals that Lynn's test was actually hers: John was aware of her motives and unwilling to allow a murderer to continue his legacy. He then addresses Jeff, offering to call an ambulance for Lynn if he has learned everything from his ordeal, and accept one last test: either killing John or forgiving him. In response, Jeff slashes John's throat with a power saw, activating Lynn's collar as the room is sealed shut. Before dying, John takes out a tape recorder to inform Jeff that his daughter, Corbett, is also captured and no one but him knows where she's being held.
Cast
Production
Development and writing
Darren Lynn Bousman
Darren Lynn Bousman (; born January 11, 1979) is an American film director and screenwriter, best known for his work in horror films. He has directed four of the ''Saw (franchise), Saw'' films: ''Saw II'', ''Saw III'', ''Saw IV'', and ''Spiral ( ...
, director and co-writer of ''
Saw II
''Saw II'' is a 2005 horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and written by Leigh Whannell and Bousman. It is the sequel to ''Saw (2004 film), Saw'' (2004) and the second installment in the Saw (franchise), ''Saw'' film series. The film sta ...
'' (2005),
James Wan
James Wan (born 26 February 1977) is an Australian filmmaker. He has primarily worked in the horror fiction, horror genre as the co-creator of the ''Saw (franchise), Saw'' and Insidious (film series), ''Insidious'' franchises and the creator of ...
, director of ''
Saw
A saw is a tool consisting of a tough blade, Wire saw, wire, or Chainsaw, chain with a hard toothed edge used to cut through material. Various terms are used to describe toothed and abrasive saws.
Saws began as serrated materials, and when man ...
'' (2004), and
Leigh Whannell
Leigh Whannell (; born 17 January 1977) is an Australian filmmaker and actor. He has written multiple films that were directed by his friend James Wan, including ''Saw (2004 film), Saw'' (2004), ''Dead Silence'' (2007), ''Insidious (film), Insid ...
, screenwriter on both, turned down the offer to make a third film in the
franchise. Producer
Gregg Hoffman died a few weeks after its release. Bousman, Wan, and Whannell got together to have lunch the day they heard of Hoffman's passing and decided to make ''Saw III'' in dedication to Hoffman.
Whannell aimed to make ''Saw III'' more emotional, describing the plot as essentially a father-daughter "love story" between
John Kramer / Jigsaw and
Amanda Young
Amanda Young is a fictional character created by James Wan and Leigh Whannell and is one of the antagonist, antagonists in the Saw (franchise), ''Saw'' franchise. She first appeared in ''Saw (2004 film), Saw'' (2004), portrayed by Shawnee Smit ...
.

Bousman said they did not intend to have a
twist ending
A plot twist is a literary technique that introduces a radical change in the direction or expected outcome of the plot in a work of fiction. When it happens near the end of a story, it is known as a twist ending or surprise ending. It may change ...
, as distinctly as the previous films, noting that "I think most people will figure it out in the first 15 minutes of the film". Whannell added, "What Darren and I struck for ''Saw III'' was to have an emotionally impactful ending". As with the previous two films, the ending was only given to the actors who appeared in the final scene at the time it was filmed. At one point the script was stolen from Bousman's chair; however, it was returned before it was leaked online.
Casting
After
Bahar Soomekh
Bahar Soomekh () is an American former actress who later became a real estate agent. She is best known for her roles in '' Crash'' and the ''Saw'' franchise.
Early life and education
Bahar was born in Tehran, Iran, to a devout Persian-Jewish fam ...
appeared in ''
Crash'' (2004), Lionsgate wanted her in the next ''Saw'' film. She was cast in ''Saw III'' in the role of Dr. Lynn Denlon. Not a fan of horror films nor having seen the first two ''Saw'' films, she found the role challenging. "I had nightmares the first month I was on set", she said. She did, however, enjoy not being
typecasted as a Middle Eastern like in most of her previous roles.
Angus Macfadyen
Angus Macfadyen (born 1963) is a Scottish actor. His roles include Robert the Bruce, both in ''Braveheart'' and ''Robert the Bruce'', Komodo in '' Warriors of Virtue'', Vice-Counsel Dupont in ''Equilibrium'', Jeff Denlon in the ''Saw'' franch ...
, a fan of certain horror films including ''Saw'', was cast as Jeff after reading and liking the script.
Costas Mandylor
Costas Mandylor (born Costas Theodosopoulos; 3 September 1965) is an Australian actor. He made his film debut with a supporting role in '' Triumph of the Spirit'' (1989) before a lead role as Frank Costello in the crime drama film '' Mobsters'' ...
was cast as
Forensic Hoffman after being introduced to Bousman. Mandylor explained, "At some point I was introduced to the director and he asked if I wanted to come up and have some fun for a week on ''Saw III''. So I thought why not, they're some good guys and all that, so we're gonna have some fun. So being in that movie for a minute or two, I made the most of it and had fun with the guys".
J. Larose
J. Adam Larose is a Navajo people, Navajo actor.
J. Adam LaRose is a Chicago-born actor of Navajo descent whose career spans from 1998 to the present. Throughout his career, LaRose has frequently collaborated with renowned director Darren Lynn ...
was cast as Troy, Jigsaw's victim at the beginning of the film. Larose found challenge in playing a role that required making the character's pain look and feel authentic but felt grateful for playing the opening sequence victim of a ''Saw'' film, appreciating his opportunity to work with Bousman.
Monica Potter
Monica Potter (June 30, 1971) is an American actress. She is known for her starring roles in the films ''Con Air'' (1997), ''Patch Adams (film), Patch Adams'' (1998), and ''Along Came a Spider (film), Along Came a Spider'' (2001). She also appear ...
, who played Alison, the wife of Dr. Gordon in the first film, was approached to reprise her role in the film but she declined the offer due to a lack of interest. She felt that she had done "plenty" with the first film.
Similarly, Rigg's role in the movie was significantly reduced as
Lyriq Bent was unavailable due to his work in ''
Angela's Eyes
''Angela's Eyes'' is an American crime drama series that aired from July 16 until October 15, 2006 on Lifetime (TV network), Lifetime, running for 13 episodes on Sunday evenings. Lifetime announced that the show would not be picked up for a seco ...
'' (2006) at the same time; despite the filmmakers' attempts to make his schedule work, Bent was only able to shoot one day.
Filming
''Saw III'' was given a larger budget of $10 million, compared to ''Saw II''s $4 million.
Principal photography
Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production.
Personnel
Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...
took place for 27 days
at
Toronto
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
's
Cinespace Film Studios
Cinespace Film Studios is a group of film studio facilities in the US and Canada. It was founded in 1988 by Greek-Canadian Nick Mirkopoulos. The studio started with a facility in Vaughan, a suburb of Toronto, which had been in operation since the ...
from , to late June. Production borrowed the bathroom set used in ''
Scary Movie 4
''Scary Movie 4'' is a 2006 American parody film directed by David Zucker, written by Jim Abrahams, Craig Mazin, and Pat Proft, and produced by Mazin and Robert K. Weiss. It is the sequel to '' Scary Movie 3'' and the fourth installment in the ...
'', which parodied the franchise.
Almost all the transitions from one place to another were not made using digital effects; the transitions were shot on the spot. For example, when the camera moves from Troy's crime scene to Kerry being in the bathtub, Meyer had to run, take off all her clothes, and jump into the tub.
Visually the film is akin to the previous two with using quick cuts and fast-paced rhythms. Bousman said, "We're using a lot of
whip pan
A whip pan is a type of pan shot in which the camera pans so quickly that the picture blurs into indistinct streaks. It is commonly used as a transition between shots, and can indicate the passage of time or a frenetic pace of action. Much like t ...
s and
flash frames to create a dynamic feel".
Post-production
Post-production, also known simply as post, is part of the process of filmmaking, video production, audio production, and photography. Post-production includes all stages of production occurring after principal photography or recording indivi ...
services were provided by
Deluxe.
The original cut of the film ran for slightly over two hours, and several scenes were cut out.
A scene that showed Jigsaw regretting his actions was also cut. Bell said, "I'm glad they cut that scene. This guy knows exactly what he's doing. Does he start off with a model, then refine it? Yeah, he probably does. But there are certain things that are interesting and advance the story, and there are other things that are basically sort of backstory, and you don't really need to know".
Trap designs
Bousman described the hardest scene to film was the "Pig Scene", explaining that they had to rush and it involved filming "so many moving parts". The pig carcasses were made out of foam, rubber, and latex.
The pig props had live, disinfected
maggot
A maggot is the larva of a fly (order Diptera); it is applied in particular to the larvae of Brachycera flies, such as houseflies, cheese flies, hoverflies, and blowflies, rather than larvae of the Nematocera, such as mosquitoes and cr ...
s attached with honey.
For "The Rack Trap", Whannell originally conceived it as a trap that would fold a person into a box, though it eventually morphed into the twisting of body parts. Bousman wanted to have a trap that involved freezing someone to death since the films had already covered burning to death, bleeding to death, and being cut to death. A body cast was made of Debra Lynne McCabe for "The Freezer Room" trap, but due to safety regulations a person cannot be entombed; only a front or back body cast could be on the actress at any given time. For the "Classroom Trap", J. Larose's character was originally going to be hanged from the ceiling by meat hooks, but it was decided against since he would not have been able to rip the chains out himself (as the script called for). It proved to be a challenge since it was done with
prosthetics
In medicine, a prosthesis (: prostheses; from ), or a prosthetic implant, is an artificial device that replaces a missing body part, which may be lost through physical trauma, disease, or a condition present at birth (congenital disorder). Prosthe ...
and
practical effect
In filmmaking a practical effect is a special effect produced physically, without computer-generated imagery or other post-production techniques. In some contexts, "special effect" is used as a synonym of "practical effect", in contrast to "vi ...
s.
Release
''Saw III'' was released theatrically in the United States and Canada . According to executive producer Daniel Heffner, the film was toned down seven times to obtain the
"R" rating. According to Bousman, the
Motion Picture Association of America
The Motion Picture Association (MPA) is an American trade association representing the Major film studios, five major film studios of the Cinema of the United States, United States, the Major film studios#Mini-majors, mini-major Amazon MGM Stud ...
(MPAA) ratings board was less concerned with the film's graphic violence than it was with emotional torture, citing television shows like ''
CSI'' for expanding the scope of what is acceptable.
In Japan, ''Saw III'' received a
R18+ rating while the previous two films received an R15+ rating.
At screenings in the United Kingdom, five people were reported to have fainted at separate cinemas with three at one cinema, resulting in ambulances being called.
In the United Kingdom it is the first film in the series to be directly distributed by
Lionsgate Lions Gate, Lion Gate or similar terms may refer to:
Gates
*Lion Gate at Mycenae in Greece
*Lion Gate, one of the entrances to the ancient Hittite city of Hattusa, now in Turkey
*Lion Gate, one of the entrances to the gardens of Hampton Court Pala ...
, the previous films were distributed by
Entertainment Film Distributors
Entertainment Film Distributors Limited is a British distributor of independent films in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was founded by Michael L. Green and is currently run by his son Nigel Green. The company has released many BAFTA and Osca ...
.
Marketing
The opening scene of Troy's trap was shown at
San Diego Comic-Con
San Diego Comic-Con is a comic book convention and multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California, at the San Diego Convention Center. Founded in 1970, originally showcasing primarily comic books and science fiction/fant ...
on July 21, 2006. The same clip was planned to be shown before the opening of ''
Crank'' in theaters on . However, the MPAA would not allow it. On , Bell, Smith and Bousman appeared at
Spike TV
Paramount Network is an American basic cable television channel and the flagship property of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global, who operates it through the MTV Entertainment Group. The network's headquarters are locate ...
's Scream Awards to promote the film and the clip of Troy's trap was shown.
Lionsgate's president of theatrical marketing
Tim Palen thought of the idea to make 1,000 posters with a small amount of Bell's blood, which was mixed with the printing ink. He said, "I asked if it would be possible to use actual blood. There was silence. He said, 'We could try, but are you serious?' I said I was dead serious." The posters were sold for $20, with the first being auctioned off; all the proceeds from the auctioned poster were donated to the
Red Cross
The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteering, volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ...
. Lionsgate also held the third annual "Give Til It Hurts"
blood drive for the Red Cross and collected 23,493 pints of blood.
Soundtrack
The ''Saw III'' soundtrack was released on . It included 20 songs from
heavy metal bands like
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California, formed in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King, drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style made them ...
,
Disturbed,
Avenged Sevenfold
Avenged Sevenfold (abbreviated as A7X) is an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1999. The band's current lineup consists of vocalist M. Shadows, rhythm guitarist Zacky Vengeance, lead gui ...
,
Ministry, and
Helmet
A helmet is a form of protective gear worn to protect the head. More specifically, a helmet complements the skull in protecting the human brain. Ceremonial or symbolic helmets (e.g., a policeman's helmet in the United Kingdom) without protecti ...
. James Christopher Monger of
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
gave the soundtrack three out of five stars. Ed Thompson of
IGN Music
''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former edi ...
gave it a 7.2 out of 10.
Home media
''Saw III'' was released to
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...
and
Blu-ray
Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...
through
Lionsgate Home Entertainment
Lionsgate Studios Corp. (simply known as Lionsgate Studios) is a Canadian-American film and television production and distribution conglomerate, domiciled in Vancouver, British Columbia, and primarily based in Santa Monica, California. It was f ...
on . It topped the home video charts in the United States and Canada with 1.6 million units sold its first day and finished the week with 2.5 million units sold.
The "Unrated Edition" was also released that day and features a 113-minute cut of the film that includes more gore.
A 120-minute-long
director's cut was released on , to coincide with the theatrical release of ''Saw IV'' on . It also included an
alternate ending
An alternate ending (or alternative ending) is an ending of a story that was considered, or even written or produced, but ultimately discarded in favour of another resolution. Generally, alternative endings are considered to have no bearing on t ...
. The film grossed $47.5 million in home sales.
Reception
Box office
''Saw III'' opened at number one on 4,700 screens at 3,167 theaters grossing $33.6 million from its opening weekend, a two percent increase from ''Saw II'' $31.7 million. It held the biggest
Halloween
Halloween, or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve), is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christianity, Western Christian f ...
weekend debut for five years until it was beaten in 2011 by ''
Puss in Boots
"Puss in Boots" (; ; ; ) is a European fairy tale about an anthropomorphic cat who uses trickery and deceit to gain power, wealth, and the hand in marriage of a princess for his penniless and low-born master.
The oldest written telling version ...
'' ($34 million). It was also Lionsgate's highest-opening weekend. Lionsgate's exit polling indicated that 69 percent of the audience was under 25 years old and 51 percent was male. In its second weekend it placed number four, dropping down 56% to $14.8 million, compared to ''Saw II'' second weekend drop of 47% to $16.9 million. The film was closed out of theaters on , after 49 days of release.
''Saw III'' opened at number five in the international market with an estimated $6 million. It opened at number one in the United Kingdom to $4.7 million. In Taiwan, it placed third and opened to $320,000. For its second weekend it opened to number two with an estimated $9.7 million. In Spain, it made $3.1 million, an improvement over the previous films. For its third weekend, ''Saw III'' grossed $8 million, including Japan's opening on 86 screens with $1.1 million. Australia made $4.3 million, Spain grossed $3.8 million and Brazil made $3.8 million. By its fourth weekend, it placed fourth place with an estimated $5.6 million from 24 territories. Its best market was a second-place start in France.
The film took in $80.2 million in the United States and Canada and $84.6 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $164.8 million.
''Saw III'' has the highest-grossing weekend in the series, highest-grossing in the international market and is the highest-grossing film in the series worldwide.
Critical response
The film was not screened in advance for critics.
Audiences polled
CinemaScore
CinemaScore is an American market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts from the data.
Background
Ed Mintz, who ...
gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.
''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
''s Robert Koehler gave the film a mixed review. He criticized the use of several flashbacks in the film, saying that it "
..hinder
dthe movie, ratcheting down its tension and pace". He explained, "A bigger problem lies with Leigh Whannell's script, which utilizes so many flashbacks and explanatory inserts that the tension, a defining feature of the first ''Saw'', is lost". He did, however praise the acting. Roger Moore of the ''
Orlando Sentinel
The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is the primary newspaper of Orlando, Florida, and the Central Florida region, in the United States. It was founded in 1876 and is currently owned by Tribune Publishing Company.
The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is owned by pare ...
'' gave it two out of five stars, criticizing the plot and acting.
The ''
San Francisco Chronicle
The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. ...
''s Peter Hartlaub gave the film a negative review, criticizing the plot. Michael Ordoña of the ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' said that "More gore is really all ''Saw III'' has to offer",
Owen Gleiberman
Owen Gleiberman (born February 24, 1959) is an American film critic who has been chief film critic for '' Variety'' magazine since May 2016, a title he shares with . Previously, Gleiberman wrote for ''Entertainment Weekly'' from 1990 until 2014. ...
of ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'' gave the film a "C". Randy Cordova of ''
The Arizona Republic
''The Arizona Republic'' is an American daily newspaper published in Phoenix. Circulated throughout Arizona, it is the state's largest newspaper. Since 2000, it has been owned by the Gannett newspaper chain.
History
Early years
The newspap ...
'' gave it a negative review saying, "''Saw III'' is devoid of any suspense or terror".
''
Empire
An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...
''s
Kim Newman
Kim James Newman (born 31 July 1959) is an English journalist, film critic, and fiction writer. He is interested in film history and horror fiction – both of which he attributes to seeing Tod Browning's ''Dracula'' at the age of eleven & ...
gave the film two out of five stars. He said the acting was "surprisingly good" but criticized the script and torture devices.
''Saw III'' was nominated for a
Saturn Award
The Saturn Awards are American awards presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The awards were created to honor science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, but have since grown to reward other films bel ...
for
Best Horror Film, but lost to ''
The Descent
''The Descent'' is a 2005 British horror film written and directed by Neil Marshall. The film stars actresses Shauna Macdonald, Natalie Mendoza, Alex Reid, Saskia Mulder, Nora-Jane Noone and MyAnna Buring. The plot follows six women who e ...
''. It was also nominated as the "Choice Movie: Horror/Thriller" at the
Teen Choice Awards
The Teen Choice Awards were an annual awards show that aired on the Fox television network between 1999 and 2019. The awards, based on a popularity vote that could be overridden by the producerswho reserved the right to choose the winnerscovered ...
, but lost to ''
Disturbia''. Bell was nominated for a
MTV Movie Award
The MTV Movie & TV Awards is a film and television awards show previously presented annually on MTV. It began as the MTV Movie Awards in 1992, when its first edition was held, and adopted its current name in 2017, beginning with its 26th editi ...
for
Best Villain, but lost to
Jack Nicholson
John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22, 1937) is an American retired actor and filmmaker. Nicholson is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of the 20th century, often playing rebels fighting against the social structure. Over his five-de ...
for his role in ''
The Departed
''The Departed'' is a 2006 crime film, crime thriller film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by William Monahan. It is both an English-language remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film ''Infernal Affairs'' and also loosely based on the real-lif ...
''.
Notes
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Saw 3
2000s American films
2000s English-language films
2000s serial killer films
2006 horror films
American sequel films
American serial killer films
Crime horror films
Films about cancer
Films about self-harm
Films about torture
Films scored by Charlie Clouser
Films directed by Darren Lynn Bousman
Films with screenplays by Leigh Whannell
Films shot in Toronto
Lionsgate films
Obscenity controversies in film
Rating controversies in film
Saw (franchise) films
English-language horror films
English-language crime films