Despite a 62% second weekend drop at the domestic box office, Lionsgate’s John Wick: Chapter 4 is performing splendidly as it enters its second week of release. After 10 days in play, the film has grossed a terrific $245 million at the worldwide box office, of which $122 million comes from over 3,800 domestic theaters and $123 million from 75 overseas territories.
John Wick 4 set franchise records in its opening weekend, when it made $73.5 million domestically and $137 million worldwide. The film has already overtaken the $86 million that the relatively modest first John Wick made in its lifetime run, as well as John Wick: Chapter 2’s $171 million worldwide haul. Now, the action sequel will set its sights on passing John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum’s $327 million global tally.
Having already eclipsed John Wick 3’s opening, it’s likely that the super-sized fourth film eventually overtakes the third movie’s franchise-best haul. John Wick 4 is arguably the best-reviewed installment in the series, at least as far as the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes is concerned. The film is currently sitting at a “fresh” rating of 94%. Collider's own Ross Bonaime called it the "most ambitious, goofy, and thrilling" film of the franchise in his review.
It is also the longest film in the series by quite a margin. This has financial implications as well, because a long run time eats into the number of shows that Lionsgate can squeeze into a day. Director Chad Stahelski told Collider that his first cut was 3 hours and 45 minutes long. The theatrical cut, which he described as "the absolute best version" of the movie, stands at 2 hours and 49 minutes.
What's John Wick 4 about?
Positioned as something of a final chapter, John Wick 4 finds the titular assassin on the run from a multitude of enemies, after his revenge mission from the first film snowballed into a larger fiasco. Targeted by lethal killers and a clandestine organization, John Wick travels to Japan and Germany in the globe-trotting fourth film, before arriving for a final showdown in Paris, France. While it’s still unclear if a fifth film is going to be made, the franchise will continue to expand with at least two separate spinoff projects — a film titled Ballerina, starring Ana de Armas, and a prequel show titled The Continental.
Each film in the series is directed by Stahelski, and has out-grossed the last handily. The first John Wick, released in 2014, was hardly expected to start a franchise. However, fans immediately took to its graceful action choreography and engaging world-building, setting the stage for bigger sequels. John Wick 4 brought back fan-favorite cast members Ian McShane, Laurence Fishburne and the late Lance Reddick. Newcomers include Donnie Yen, Donnie Yen, Bill Skarsgård and Rina Sawayama.
You can watch our interview with Stahelski here, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.