 Saw IV was given the greenlight before the third movie even opened.  This was stated in Fangoria Magazine #257. "The synopsis, bare as it  is, takes the third installment to a new budget level for  Lionsgates wildly successful franchise. Saw was made for  approximately $1 million, Saw II cost $4 million and the figure for  Saw III, according to producer Mark Burg , has risen to $10 million.  Saw III was greenlighted the morning after Saw II opened to massive  box