After a four-year wait, the latest John Wick movie starring Keanu Reeves has finally arrived in theaters. It's the longest gap between movies in the franchise, and it may be the biggest one yet.
Like many recent titles, John Wick: Chapter 4 suffered several delays due to the lockdowns and to avoid competing with titles such as last year's mega-blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick and Reeves' own The Matrix Resurrections.
Audiences are starved for John Wick's return to the big screens as Chapter 4 managed to gross 73,5 million domestically and 137,5 million internationally over the weekend, all the best figures of the series thus far.
It helps that Chapter 4 has registered 95% of positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, also a series best. John Wick is the rare film franchise where each subsequent entry is better received and gets better returns than the previous one, which certainly helps its popularity and staying power.
The sudden passing of Lance Reddick, a beloved mainstay of the series, has overshadowed the success of the Chapter 4 release. Reddick participated in the press tour with no signs that something was wrong, setting a somber tone for the tour.
John Wick: Chapter 5 was initially filmed back-to-back with Chapter 4, but Lionsgate decided to delay it and focus on the fourth installment instead. It is, however, already deep into development.
Two other spin-offs have been completed and are coming soon: Ballerina, about a character introduced in Chapter 3 - Parabellum and starring Ana de Armas, and The Continental, a TV show set before the movies starring Mel Gibson.