Another Day To Kill introduced us to the character of John Wick, who quickly managed to become one of the most interesting anti-heroes in the action genre. Keanu Reeves, who is no stranger to this type of production, enjoyed a great reception with the film, and his fame returned stronger than ever. The film opened the doors for a franchise that can be exploited from many angles and through several installments. Although not all franchises can enjoy similar successes, John Wick 4’s great box office reception – 93% is proof that fans are keeping up and hoping to continue enjoying this violent world.
To put together a successful franchise, it is necessary that the first installment has something essential to engage the public in the long term. A good mystery or excellent main characters are key to this, and in the case of John Wick the great element was having Reeves as the lead, but also the original fight and chase choreography, as well as an excellent soundtrack. The revenge plot was pretty simple, nothing you haven’t seen in other movies, but here it served as a pretty good excuse for something more interesting.
Instead of simply telling the same story over and over again in new installments, the creators decided that the following films would work to learn more about the criminal world in which John Wick has a legacy as the greatest assassin in history. The events of the first film only opened the doors for something much more dangerous, for if the crime bosses can’t drag our protagonist back into their current, then they must finish him off once and for all. In this way, John Wick 2: A New Day to Kill and John Wick 3: Parabellum served to introduce new enemies and allies, and better unravel the past and canon of history.
John Wick 4 became one of the most anticipated releases by fans, because the end of the last installment had left several things unresolved, such as the betrayal of Winston (Ian McShane), who always gave priority to the Continental hotel, despite of the loyalty and respect he has for Wick. The fourth part is focused on a critical point, in which the new leader of the criminals, played by Bill Skarsgård, decides to offer a last agreement with the murderer that will end him as a free man or as another dead man.
Like other films in recent years, the production of John Wick 4 had to overcome several challenges to reach commercial theaters, since the date of its release had to change in the general context of the industry. The excitement of the fans only increased during this time because Keanu Reeves assured in several interviews that the action scenes had been the most complicated to film in his entire career and that they would go further than before. Expectations were quite high, but the result was also very positive, as some already consider it the best installment in the saga.
Another important way to measure its success among the public is the reception at the box office and we all know that the numbers that are generated during the first weekend of release can make or break an entire production and its future. According to The Hollywood Reporter, John Wick 4 will easily surpass its predecessor, as it managed to raise $30 million on Friday alone, also counting the $8.9 million from the preview, and is expected to reach $70 million over the weekend. For comparison, John Wick 3: Parabellum made $56.8 million in the same time.
Before tapes like Shazam! The Fury of the Gods – 55%, Creed III – 90% and Scream 6 – 81% that have been on the billboard for some time now, John Wick 4 will have no problem stealing first place as the most watched of the week. Considering that the fans are really delighted with the film, it is also believed that more audiences than expected will flock to theaters to see it on the big screen, especially now that there is more confidence to go to theaters. Chad Stahelski, director of the franchise, recently commented that he has no plans for another installment, at least not for now, but with this income we can expect some pressure from the production company, who are also working on a spin-off prequel series and another spin. -off called Ballerina starring Ana de Armas, where Keanu Reeves will return as the character.