After just four weeks in theaters, John Wick: Chapter 4 has kicked, flipped, and shot its way to success.
Unsurprisingly, audiences turned out in full force again to see Keanu Reeves return to the underworld. In the opening weekend, the latest addition to the franchise knocked down the box office competition after collecting a remarkable $73.5 million. As of now, the film has made over $160.1 million domestically and $349.7 million worldwide, dethroning John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, which grossed just over $328 million worldwide during its run.
The original John Wick opened with a modest $14 million in 2014; its sequel John Wick: Chapter 2, duplicated that number with $30.4 million, and the third film John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, previously held the opening weekend record with $56.8 million. Altogether, the three films have collected more than $573 million at the global box office — which is a major milestone for an original action franchise competing against comic-book-driven eyeballs.
John Wick: Chapter 4 was supposed to hit theaters almost two full years ago, but it has proved to be worth the wait. In this new adventure, hitman John Wick discovers a way to defeat the High Table. The main villain of the series is the Marquis de Gramont (Bill Skarsgård), a leader of the High Table who keeps raising the bounty on Wick’s head while he also cleans up the messes left behind. But to win his freedom, Wick must face a new rival with powerful alliances around the world, capable of turning old friends into enemies.
In addition to Reeves as the main star, the film features the returns of Laurence Fishburne (“The Bowery King”), Ian McShane (Winston), and the late Lance Reddick (Charon), reprising their previous roles in the franchise. Next to them are the newcomers: Donnie Yen, Bill Skarsgård, Scott Adkins, Hiroyuki Sanada, Clancy Brown, Shamier Anderson, Rina Sawayama, and Natalia Tena.
Overall, the film has been hailed for its continued ability to deliver gun-slinging action and knockout visuals. Perhaps most notably though, Chapter 4 has been widely praised for keeping audiences locked in throughout its near-three-hour return. In fact, Collider’s own Ross Bonaime celebrated Revees’ latest release for its “goofy, ridiculous, three-hours of fun that manages to not overstay its welcome” and successfully pushing “ambition to the brink.”
So what’s left of the franchise? Back in August 2020, it was announced that the fourth and fifth movie would film back-to-back. Although John Wick 5 isn’t officially going to happen, the fourth movie’s record-breaking debut likely raised the stakes. According to Lionsgate chair Joe Drake, the fifth movie could happen.
“There’s a will and there’s an openness,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “And you could certainly interpret that ending in different ways. We’re all going to take a tiny rest here and then scratch at ideas about whether there’s a credible way to get into five. But there’s no guarantee.”
John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023) Final Trailer – Keanu Reeves, Donnie Yen, Bill Skarsgård
