John Wick 4 Sets A New Franchise Record With $8.9 Million Thursday Night Box Office

While superhero tentpoles might be struggling in the early going of 2023, other genre films seem to be doing perfectly fine, thank you very kindly. "John Wick: Chapter 4" is the latest non-superhero flick to openly strongly at the box office, taking in a franchise-high $8.9 million in Thursday evening previews (via Variety). That's despite its 169-minute runtime, although its supporters would tell you Mr. Wick's fourth outing is perhaps the breeziest three-hour action movie to make its way into theaters this side of "RRR."

Once again pairing the man, the myth, the legend that is Keanu Reeves with series director Chad Stahelski (drawing from a screenplay that's credited to "John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum" writer Shay Hatten and "Predators" scribe Michael Finch), "John Wick: Chapter 4" sends Baba Yaga on a quest for revenge against the High Table, in the hopes of securing his freedom once and for all. Far from being as exhausted as John himself by this point in the story, critics seem even more upbeat than customary for the celebrated franchise this time around. 

"At just [a] hair under three hours, 'Chapter 4' is indulgent for sure, but it's earned the running time at this point," writes /Film's Jacob Hall in his review. He goes on to highlight all the elements "John Wick" fans have come to expect at this stage, from the mind-bogglingly dangerous stunts and balletic gun-fu tussles to the intricate world-building that "sometimes feels as opaque as Frank Herbert and J.R.R. Tolkien."

"John Wick: Chapter 4" is now expected to gross $65-70 million during its opening weekend stateside, per the latest projections from Variety. That would be a significant step up from the previous record set by "John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum," which brought in $56.8 million over its own three-day debut stateside in May 2019. Should it meet those projections, "Chapter 4" would also rank as Keanu Reeves' second-biggest opening ever after "The Matrix Reloaded" and its massive $91.8 million three-day haul just a smidge under 20 years ago.

While the possibility of "John Wick 5" remains up in the air for the moment, we know there's a pair of spinoffs headed our way in the very near future. Reeves has already filmed a cameo for the upcoming "Ballerina," a movie starring Ana de Armas as a dancer/assassin trained by the Ruska Roma crime syndicate (as portrayed by Unity Phelan in "Parabellum") seeking revenge against the people who murdered her family. Elsewhere, there's "The Continental," a Peacock miniseries exploring how Ian McShane's slippery Continental proprietor Winston (who's played here by Colin Woodell as a younger man) came to secure his position back in the 1970s.

With a reported budget of at least $100 million, "Chapter 4" will have a steeper climb out of the red than previous "John Wick" sequels. Nevertheless, if its Thursday preview showings are any indication, the film will be well on its way to turning a profit in the weeks ahead. In the meantime, keep it tuned to /Film for the sequel's official box office numbers on Monday.