Lionsgate/Courtesy Everett Collection
John Wick: Chapter 4 smashed the box office competition, collecting $73.5 million in its opening weekend.
Buoyed by positive reviews and enthusiastic word of mouth, the fourth installment in the Lionsgate film series, led by Keanu Reeves as the legendary assassin, gets the franchise off to the best start. It’s one of the rare original properties that should continue to grow and improve beyond last, in terms of ticket sales at the box office. The original “John Wick” opened to $14 million in 2014, the sequel “John Wick: Chapter 2” took in $30.4 million to start in 2017, and the third film “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum” preceded its record opening weekend. with $56.8 million in 2019.
At the international box office, “John Wick 4” took in $64 million – debuting at No. 1 in each of the 71 markets in which it opened – bringing its worldwide tally to $137.5 million. It cost over $100 million to produce, giving it the highest price tag in the series. But the ticket sales really prove that the extra coin was worth it.
“This is a great opening,” says David A. Gross, who runs film consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research. “Each series of ‘John Wick’ has shown significant growth. It’s fantastic.”
Even at 2 hours 49 minutes, audiences were high on the R-rated “John Wick: Chapter 4,” which earned an “A” CinemaScore. The film’s opening weekend audience was 69% male, while 70% was over the age of 25.
According to Lionsgate, only nine franchises in the past 40 years have managed to set opening weekend records with their fourth out. Of those nine properties, only five each installment has improved upon its predecessor at the box office. In the case of “John Wick,” the first film grossed $86.1 million but was a hit in home entertainment, while the sequel ended its run with $174.3 million. “Parabellum,” which is currently the highest grossing entry, left the big screen with $328.3 million worldwide.
Chad Stahelski directed the latest “John Wick,” which follows the titular killer as he continues his fight against the powerful crime organization known as the High Table. Lionsgate has been coy about the fifth “John Wick” adventure, though Reeves and other cast members will return for “Ballerina,” a spin-off starring Ana de Armas.
With the exception of “Shazam: Fury of the Gods,” March was a standout at the box office, with new entries for “Scream” and “Creed” also establishing opening-weekend benchmarks for their respective series.
Shazam 2 slipped to second place with $9.7 million from 4,071 slots as ticket sales fell 69% in its second weekend. It’s another dismal take on the twisted superhero adventure, starring Zachary Levi, that cost Warner Bros. a new movie. and DC $110 million to produce and another $100 million for merchandising. To date, “Fury of the Gods” has earned $46 million in what is shaping up to be one of the worst turnouts for a modern superhero movie.
It’s been a rough period for comic book adaptations. Disney’s latest Marvel sequel, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, has collapsed in the weeks since its massive $106 million debut. Already, it’s out strong with $209 million in North America, which is higher than the original “Ant-Man” ($180 million) but behind 2018’s sequel “Ant-Man and the Wasp” ($216 million). With $465 million worldwide, it’s nowhere near matching the first two films – which grossed $519 million and $622 million, respectively – at the worldwide box office.
“Superheroes showed an uncharacteristic vulnerability, but we were spoiled,” Gross says. “We only had two substandard entrances.”
In third place, “Scream VI” collected $8.4 million from 3,355 theaters in its third weekend of release. After three weeks on the big screen, Paramount’s slasher sequel has grossed $89.8 million in North America and $49.4 million internationally.
“Creed III” landed in fourth place, grossing $8.36 million from 3,207 locations in its fourth week of release. The sports drama, directed by Michael Jordan who co-starred with Jonathan Majors, has grossed $140.8 million to date. Overseas, where Warner Bros. “Creed III”, ticket sales reached $105 million for $245.8 million.
Sony’s prehistoric sci-fi thriller “65” rounded out the top five with $3.2 million from 2,786 cinemas in its third box. The $45 million movie, starring Adam Driver as a pilot who lands on an unrecognizable version of Earth, has made its way to $27.8 million so far.