While the last few years have seen Keanu Reeves impress in various roles, including reprising Ted Logan and Neo in Bill and Ted Face the Music and The Matrix Resurrections, respectively, arguably the biggest way he’s stood out over the last decade has been leading the John Wick franchise. Across four movies, moviegoers have watched the title assassin eliminate all sorts of enemies in the criminal underworld he’d previously left behind, and thanks to the performance of John Wick: Chapter 4, this franchise has finally crossed the $1 billion mark.
Released on May 24, Chapter 4 dominated its opening weekend at the box office, and as of this writing, it’s made over $425 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing entry in the film series. It’s a big enough deal that each John Wick movie has been more financially successful than its predecessor, but the 2023 new movie release’s outstanding performance has now resulted in John Wick joining the list of franchises that have made more than $1 billion across the globe, with its current collective total sitting at $1.011 billion. Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chair Joe Drake said the following about hitting this milestone in a statement provided to Variety:
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. We could not be more grateful to global moviegoers for bringing us to this incredible achievement.
This is the second Keanu Reeves-led franchise to cross $1 billion, as the four Matrix movies have collectively pulled in $1.793 billion. The John Wick franchise has certainly come a long way from its humble roots, as the first movie was made off a budget between $20-30 million and drew in $86 million worldwide. Looking back at the latest installment (which was made off a $100 billion budget), on top of its financial success, it’s also been met with a lot of positive critical reception just like its predecessors, including CinemaBlend’s own Eric Eisenberg giving the fourth John Wick movie 4.5 out of 5 stars in his review.
Warning: SPOILERS for John Wick: Chapter 4 are ahead!
This big news comes at a time when there’s uncertainty surrounding the main John Wick film series. Although left somewhat ambiguous, it’s essentially indicated at the end of Chapter 4 that Keanu Reeves’ character has died, meaning that John Wick: Chapter 5 is no longer on the table. However, because Chapter 4 has been so successful, Joe Drake has said that there’s an “openness” from Lionsgate to make Chapter 5 happen, which would necessitate John’s fate being changed. Whatever ends up happening, Reeves and director Chad Stahelski are both giving John Wick “a rest” for now.
The good news for John Wick fans is that this franchise will soon be expanding with other projects. In the fall, Peacock subscribers will be able to watch The Continental, which follows a young Winston Scott, played by Colin Woodell, in the 1970s taking control of the hotel that caters to assassins. Then in summer 2024, Ballerina will follow Ana de Armas’ Rooney exacting revenge on the people who killed her family. That spinoff, which takes place between Chapter 3 and Chapter 4, will also include some familiar faces from the John Wick movies, including Keanu Reeves and the late Lance Reddick’s last performance as Charon.
John Wick: Chapter 4 will be released digitally on May 23, and the Blu-ray and DVD copies will follow on June 13. If/when word comes in about if Chapter 5 will move forward, CinemaBlend will pass that big news along.
