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John Wick: Chapter 4 aims to set a new franchise record in its theatrical debut.
The fourth installment in Lionsgate’s action thriller series, starring Keanu Reeves as the legendary assassin, is expected to gross $65-$70 million in 3,800 theaters in North America over the weekend. The film also debuts at the international box office in 71 territories this weekend. Ticket sales are expected to reach at least $100 million to $115 million worldwide by Sunday.
It’s impressive that every film in the John Wick franchise has managed to dramatically improve on its predecessor at the box office, starting with 2014’s John Wick ($14 million at launch) and John Wick : Chapter 2” in 2017 ($30.4 million). ) and 2019’s “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum” ($56.8 million). Chapter 4, which received some of the best reviews of the already well-received package, should continue the trend. It cost more than $100 million to make, earning it the top prize in the series.
Parabellum is currently the highest-grossing installment in the franchise at $328.3 million worldwide. The first film grossed $86.1 million but became a staple in home entertainment, while the sequel ended at $174.3 million. As long as the momentum continues, “Chapter 4” hopes to become the biggest earner of the four by the time it leaves theaters. Despite its box office success, a spin-off called Ballerina, starring Ana de Armas, is already in the works.
Aside from Shazam: Fury of the Gods, it was a stellar March at the box office, with new releases of Scream and Creed also setting opening weekend benchmarks in their respective series. John Wick 4 is the only national re-release, so it will have no problem overtaking Shazam 2 as the #1 film on the domestic charts.
Chad Stahelski directed the latest “John Wick,” which follows the titular hitman as he continues his fight against the powerful criminal organization known as the High Table. On his journey he seeks out the most powerful players in the underworld, from New York to Paris and Japan to Berlin. In addition to Reeves, the cast includes Donnie Yen, Bill Skarsgård, Laurence Fishburne and Lance Reddick, who died unexpectedly last week at the age of 60.
Variety’s senior film critic Owen Gleiberman hailed the fourth chapter – which runs at two hours and 49 minutes – as a “knowingly over-the-top gift to fans.” New York critic Richard Brody called it “by far the best of the four films [and] the first of the cycle I would recommend.”