John Wick Franchise Hits $1 Billion Milestone With The 4th installment
On March 24, 2023, John Wick: Chapter 4 made its worldwide debut in the United States and has since had a stellar performance at the box office, garnering more than $425.3 million.
All John Wick films were successful, but with the smash hit of the latest franchise, this Keanu Reeves franchise has hit another milestone. Officially, the John Wick series has reached its $1 billion breakthrough at the global box office.
This officially puts the franchise in the same ranks as Marvel, Avatar, and Illumination’s Despicable Me.
Lionsgate shared the success story last Friday when they released the statement, “This milestone is a testament to the incredible work of Chad Stahelski and Keanu Reeves, alongside Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee, who have made it their mission to outdo themselves with each successive film in this franchise.”
Furthermore, the Motion Picture Group Chairman, Joe Drake, shared, “We could not be more grateful to global moviegoers for bringing us to this incredible achievement.”
Recall that in the movies, specifically in Chapter 1, which was released in 2014, Keanu Reeves played the title role of John Wick, a retired hitman with an impressive reputation. John Wick was a legend in the criminal underworld. Chad Stahelski directed all the installments of the movie, with the screenplay by Derek Kolstad.
During the first John Wick installment, Michael Nyqvist, Adrianne Palicki, Alfie Allen, Bridget Moynahan, Ian McShane, Dean Winters, Willem Dafoe, and John Leguizamo joined Keanu.
With a refreshing and exhilarating storyline, John Wick became a box office hit earning a gross of $87.8 million, a considerable gain against its budget of about $30 million.
The second John Wick installment was released three years later, with Michael Nyqvist, Bridget Moynahan, and Ian McShane reprising their original characters. Common, Ruby Rose, Laurence Fishburne, Lance Reddick, Franco Nero, and Peter Stromare joined them.
And the second John Wick installment proved to be another hit with those who follow the life of the hitman. Doing even better than the first movie, John Wick: Chapter 2 gained a gross of $171.5 million against its budget of $40 million.
In 2019, director Chad Stahelski was back for John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, and this time, for the screenplay, Derek Kolstad was joined by Shay Hatten, Marc Abrams, and Chris Collins. Halle Berry, Anjelica Huston, Mark Dacascos, and Asia Kate Dillon.
Like the first and second installments, Chapter 3 maintained the winning streak and topped the charts like the previous chapters. The third John Wick movie, which had a budget of $75 million, earned an impressive $327 million.
For seamless continuity, cast members from the previous installments joined Keanu for the fourth chapter, including Ian McShane, who plays Winston, the late Lance Reddick, who played Charon, and Laurence Fishburne, for his Bowery King character.
Unfortunately, the John Wick family received a devastating blow when Lance Reddick passed away on March 17, just as the promotions for Chapter 4 were underway. The actor was 60 years old at the time of his death, and the cause was associated with heart disease.
