On just a reported $100 million production budget, John Wick 4 is proving a movie doesn’t have to decrease in quality or audience interest this far into sequels.
One sequence in particular shows that the John Wick franchise is more than just glorified violence. Inspired by a video game, there’s a part of the movie where an aerial view unlike anything you’ve ever seen before in any movie is simply a tour de force of choreography, camera work, and creativity. It’s the sort of thing that is dazzling audiences and making many say that John Wick is more exciting now than ever before.
And as you might expect… the market is rewarding Keanu Reeves and everyone involved in making the film.
“John Wick: Chapter 4,” the fourth installment in the Keanu Reeves assassin series, debuted with a franchise-best $73.5 million at the box office, according to studio estimates Sunday.
The Lionsgate film, starring Reeves as the reluctant-but-not-that-reluctant killer John Wick, exceeded both expectations and previous opening weekends in the R-rated franchise. Since first launching in 2014 with “John Wick” ($14 million on its opening weekend), the Chad Stahelski-directed series has steadily grown as a ticket-seller with each sequel. The 2017 follow-up opened with $30.4 million, and the 2019 third chapter, “Parabellum,” debuted with $56.8 million.
— Jake Coyle, Associated Press
At a time when it seems movies are going back to the successful action ideas and storytelling tropes that once sustained Hollywood, John Wick 4 is yet another feather in the cap of those who want to be amazed. It follows in the footsteps of Top Gun: Maverick, Avatar the Way of Water and more. Stories of strong fathers and high octane action are in. Films that have taken the exact opposite approach have suffered greatly. It could be a sign that the culture has shifted, growing extraordinarily tired of anti-male, anti-father messaging. Action figures should be strong, brave, and overcoming. And it appears that we’ll be getting much more of that if the market, and the desire for profits, win out.
Box Office for the Weekend of March 24th-26th, 2023
Position, Weeks, Title, Distributor, Weekend Box Office, Total Domestic Box Office
| 1 | N | John Wick: Chapter 4 | Lionsgate | $73,525,000 | $73,525,000 | |||||
| 2 | (1) | Shazam! Fury of the Gods | Warner Bros. | $9,700,000 | $46,306,765 | |||||
| 3 | (2) | Scream VI | Paramount Pi… | $8,400,000 | $89,893,000 | |||||
| 4 | (3) | Creed III | United Artists | $8,369,203 | $140,888,996 |
Source: The-Numbers
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