Strong Start for “John Wick: Chapter 4” in Early Overseas Release
Keanu Reeves is back with a bang as John Wick in Chapter 4, the fourth installment of the John Wick franchise. With the international release starting on Wednesday, Lionsgate, Thunder Road Films, and 87 Eleven are already seeing a strong start at the international box office. Here’s a breakdown of the early figures and what to expect from this highly anticipated movie.
International Box Office Figures
As of Wednesday, John Wick: Chapter 4 has earned an estimated $3.9 million across a handful of international markets, including Australia and New Zealand’s Thursday launches. Industry insiders estimate that Thursday’s domestic previews earned around $8 million, marking a franchise-best.
The movie is set to bow in 71 international box office markets this weekend, the widest day-and-date footprint for the franchise, which previously released movies in a staggered fashion. The global outlook for this weekend is an estimated $115 million, including $45 million from offshore. John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, the previous movie in the series, opened to $36.9 million internationally in 2019, earning $93.75 million worldwide. However, Chapter 4 has the advantage of having Germany, France, and Spain included in its opening weekend, major territories that Parabellum did not have.
Individual Market Highlights
Latin America: Paid previews for the movie in Latin America came in at an estimated $994K, led by Brazil at $328K and followed by Mexico with $240K. Only about 60% of cinemas in Latin America held sneaks, indicating strong potential for the weekend ahead.
Germany: Consistently a top market for the John Wick movies, Germany grossed an estimated $635K in Wednesday evening previews, 40% higher than the previous installment. Regular shows began Thursday on over 800 screens, marking the widest R-rated release in the market in the last decade.
France: The Chad Stahelski-directed movie launched in France at No. 1, earning $543K from 557 screens. Despite ongoing social unrest and protests in major cities, the movie’s start was 35% ahead of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. Chapter 4 has also received the best critical and audience scores of the series on AlloCiné.
Taiwan: John Wick: Chapter 4 was No. 1 in Taiwan, earning an estimated $418K, which is 17% higher than Chapter 3 and 273% higher than last weekend’s opener Shazam! Fury of the Gods.
Australia: The movie bowed to $681K on 259 screens on Thursday, which represents 66% of the entire box office and is 56% higher than John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. The launch day was also Studiocanal’s biggest since Twilight: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 and the best for any non-studio title since Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2.
New Zealand: John Wick: Chapter 4 has grossed $140K through Thursday, which is 36% higher than Chapter 3.
Sweden and Finland: Both countries opened the movie at No. 1 on Wednesday, with Sweden earning $100K (105% higher than John Wick: Chapter 3) and Finland earning $74K (on par with Chapter 3).
Upcoming Markets
The UK and Spain are set to open the movie today, and the franchise’s top markets have typically been a mix of the UK, Germany, Mexico, Australia, and Korea. Japan is set to open in the fall.
