Keanu Reeves is back on the big screen to shoot a whole load of people in the face. John Wick 4 has already broken a franchise record with its Thursday previews of $8.9 million, as first reported by Deadline. This has set it up for a massive opening weekend that will be filled with loads of cash coming in at the box office as it is projected to have $65-70 million domestic, and a high body count as the Baba Yaga does what he does best. Worldwide, it is projected to hit around $115 million.
By adding more installments, a franchise can start to strain itself or grow further. John Wick 4 breaking this record is not a huge surprise with its wide release in 3,855 theaters, wide acclaim with its highest score on Rotten Tomatoes with 96%, and people giving love to the late Lance Reddick, who played concierge at the Continental Hotel, Charon.
John Wick 4 Thursday previews break franchise record
The bar is set high and was pre-pandemic. The third installment, 2019’s Parabellum, held the previous record. Its Thursday opening grossed $5.9 million. Its opening weekend scored $56.8 million. By the end of its theatrical run, it grossed $328 million worldwide, another high for the franchise.
Reeves could have another one of the strongest opening weekends in his career after seeing John Wick 4 break this record. Parabellum is the second-best opening for the actor, with The Matrix Reloaded‘s $135 million at his best opening. By the end of the weekend, we will see how things will shake up. Either way, it will further his strong career in action and genre films that has been going on for over 30 years.
John Wick: Chapter 4 sees the biggest time jump. The previous films took place within a week(s), and this sees the assassin months after the events of the previous film. Now his mission is to take down the High Table, the organization that runs this assassin underworld.