John Wick: Chapter 4 Lionsgate Box-Office Triumph with $73.5M

March 27, 2023

No other film has topped $10 million, “Shazam! “The sequel suffers a painful fall to the ground.

In a business that lives and dies on sequels, perhaps the best news about the fantastic opening weekend of “John Wick: Chapter 4” (Lionsgate) is that for the third time in four weeks, the sequel opened much better than its predecessor. installment.

“Wick 4” opened to $73.5 million, well ahead of strong earlier starts from “Creed 3” (MGM) and “Scream 6” (Paramount). This is by far the best opening shot in the ‘Wick’ series. And it’s a welcome return for Lionsgate, which has thrived in recent years with huge franchises like “Twilight” and “The Hunger Games.”

This is their biggest film since the last “Hunger Games” in 2015. This company was a vital supplement to theater revenues before Covid. But their biggest grosser since 2019’s “Knives Out” was “The Jesus Revolution” at $49 million (and still in release).

In addition to its record-breaking debut, “Wick 4” also achieved the best Cinemascore (A), Metacritic score (78) and most premium screens (1,697). It added an additional $64 million in foreign openings and ranks No. 1 in all 71 territories.

Even better, with an estimated $100 million production budget, it has a lower break-even point than many franchises. Its cross-platform potential is demonstrated by its PVOD pre-sales, which briefly hit the No. 1 spot on iTunes this weekend.

This performance is similar to another R-rated action blockbuster – ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’. Its 2o15 release had a $45 million opening and surpassed that, which is impressive.

Audience demographics show strong participation, with non-white moviegoers 18-34 years old dominating. That bodes well for Universal’s upcoming “Fast X” (opening May 19).

“Wick 4” accounted for 62 percent of its weekend cume of around $117 million. No other film has managed more than $10 million. The biggest flaw in “Shazam! Wrath of the Gods” (Warner Bros. Discovery), which dropped 68 percent in its second weekend after a weak start. The total domestic value of the DC Comics title is under $70 million.

Recent entries “Scream” and “Creed” were followed by declines influenced by the strength of “Wick 4”. “Creed 6” is on its way to a series-best domestic total of $160 million, while “Scream 6” is topping $100 million.

The total value of the weekend in 2023 exceeds last year by about 27 percent to date, roughly the same as the last few weeks. If that holds, the 2023 domestic total would be about $9.4 billion. Our four-week rolling comparison to the most recent pre-Covid dates is 69 percent.

Three new titles opened in hundreds of theaters this weekend. Zack Braff’s “A Good Person” (MGM) starring Florence Pugh and Morgan Freeman earned $834,000 from 530 theaters. Stephen Frears’ “The Lost King” (IFC) with Sally Hawkins earned $575,000 in 753.

“Tori and Lokita”

Sideshow and Janus Films

Several well-reviewed titles were the opening of fair platforms. The Dardennes brothers “Tori and Lokita” (Sideshow/Janus) earned $15,600 in two theaters. “Nam June Pak: Moon Is the Oldest TV” (Greenwich) won Best Exclusive Documentary of the Year at the New York Film Forum with $10,378. “The Five Devils” (MUBI), which opened in one New York theater, took in $8,666. “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (A24), entering its second year, gained another $445,000.

The Top 10

1. John Wick: Chapter 4 (Lionsgate) NEW – Cinemascore: A; Metacritic: 78; Evening. budget: $100 million

$73,525,000 in 3,855 theaters; PTA (Theatrical Average): $19,073; Total: $73,525,000

2. Shazam!: Wrath of the Gods (WBD) Week 2; #1 last weekend

$9,700,000 (-68%) at 4,071 (unchanged) theaters; PTA: $2,383; Total: $46,307,000

3. Scream VI (Paramount) Week 3; #2 last weekend

$8,400,000 (-52%) in 3,355 (-321) theaters; PTA: $2,504; Total: $89,893,000

4. Creed III (MGM) Week 4; Last weekend #3

$8,369,000 (-46%) in 3,207 (-270) theaters; PTA: $2,610; Total: $140,889,000

5. 65 (Sony) Week 3; #4 last weekend

$3,250,000 (-44%) in 2,786 (-619) theaters; PTA: $1,167; Total: $27,834,000

6. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (Disney) Week 6; Last weekend #5

$2,420,000 (-43%) in 1,915 (-735) theaters; PTA: $1,241; Total: $209,863,000

7. Cocaine Bear (Universal) Week 5; Last weekend #6; Also on PVOD

$2,090,000 (-47%) in 2,207 (-480) theaters; PTA: $947; Total: $62,132,000

8. The revolution of Jesus (Lionsgate) Week 5; #7 last weekend

$2,000,000 (-43%) in 1,964 (-390) theaters; PTA: $1,018; Total: $49,033,000

9. Champions (In Focus) Week 3; #8 last weekend

$1,540,000 (-50%) in 1,917 (-1,122) theaters; PTA: $803; Total: $13,600,000

10. Avatar: The Way of Water (Disney) Week 15; #9 last weekend

$1,400,000 (-33%) at 935 (-255) theaters; PTA: $1,497; Total: $680,441,000

“The Lost King”

IFC movies

Other titles

Films (limited, extended, limited release, and award-oriented release) are listed by week of release, starting with those released that week; after the first two weeks, only films grossing more than $5,000 are listed.

A good man (MGM) NEW – Metacritic: 49

$834,018 in 530 theaters; PTA: $1,574

The Lost King (IFC) NEW – Metacritic: 64; The festivals are: Toronto 2022

$575,000 at 753 theaters; PTA: $763

Tori and Lokita (Sideshow/Janus) NEW – Metacritic: 78; Festivals: Cannes, Telluride 2022

$15,600 at 2 theaters; PTA: $7,800

The five devils (MUBI) NEW – Metacritic: 69; The festivals are: Cannes 2022

$8,666 in 1 theater; PTA: $8,666

Nam June Paik: The Moon is the oldest TV (Greenwich) NEW – Metacritic: 79; Festivals include: Sundance 2023

$10,378 in 1 theater; PTA: $10,378

What the hell happened to the blood, sweat and tears? (Abramorama) NEW

$5,093 in 1 theaters; PTA: $5,093