Lionsgate’s John Wick: Chapter 4 skyrocketed to $29.4 million from 3,855 theaters on Friday, including a whopping $8.9 million in Thursday’s previews.
The fourth installment in the beloved Lionsgate action franchise is now on track to open in 3,895 theaters for over $70 million, a franchise best and more than enough to kill the competition, including remnant Shazam! wrath of the gods.
Keanu Reeves once again plays the skilled assassin nicknamed Baba Yaga.
To date, 2019’s John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum boasts the series’ biggest domestic launch at $56.8 million, after earning $5.9 million in Thursday’s previews, unadjusted for inflation.
There’s a lot going on in John Wick 4: Reeves is as popular as ever while critics adore the picture. The current critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes is an impressive 96 percent, the best ranking of any John Wick title (the previous three images were all in the mid-to-high 80 percent range).
One challenge: John Wick 4’s running time is just under three hours, which means less showtime, although audiences don’t seem to mind. The film received an A CinemaScore.
Directed by Chad Stahelski, the film is packed with the usual mayhem, violence, balletic physicality and morbid humor that define the action franchise. The cast also includes Donnie Yen, Bill Skarsgard, Laurence Fishburne, Hiroyuki Sanada, Shamier Anderson, Rina Sawayama, Ian McShane and the late Lance Reddick, who died earlier this month. The film is being produced by Basil Iwanyk, Erica Lee and Stahelski.
Internationally, the film debuts this weekend in 71 countries worldwide including the UK, Germany, Australia, France, Italy, Spain and Mexico.
The lucrative Lionsgate franchise has grossed nearly $590 million at the worldwide box office. By Sunday, that number should be over $700 million. John Wick grossed $86.1 million worldwide; John Wick: Chapter 2 grossed $174.3 million; and John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum grossed $328.3 million.
John Wick 4 is an Entertainment Production by Thunder Road Films/87eleven.
Warner Bros.’ Shazam 2 could drop a whopping 69 percent on its second outing to an estimated $9 million for 10 days domestically from just $45 million. It appears to be #2, followed by Paramount’s Scream VI and Spyglass at a whopping $8.9 million for a domestic tally of over $90 million.
MGM’s Creed III will hit a strong No. 4 with an estimated $8.3 million and a domestic total of $140.6 million through Sunday.
March 25, 7:20 am Updated with Friday earnings and estimated totals.
An original version of this story was published on March 24 at 7:30 am