John Wick film franchise tops milestone $1 BILLION mark at worldwide box office

John Wick: Chapter 4 made its wide release in theaters across the United States on March 24 and has already grossed over $425.3 million.

And as a result of the film’s overwhelming success, the Keanu Reeves-led franchise has now officially crossed the billion mark at the global box office.

This puts John Wick in the ranks of Avatar, Marvel, and even Illumination’s Despicable Me.

Lionsgate announced the news of the milestone in a statement released Friday.

“This milestone is a testament to the incredible work of Chad Stahelski and Keanu Reeves, along with Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee, who have made it their mission to outdo themselves with each subsequent film in this franchise,” said Joe Drake, president of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group. .

“We couldn’t be more grateful to moviegoers worldwide for leading us to this incredible achievement.”

In the franchise, Reeves plays the title role of John Wick (2014), a retired assassin who has earned a legendary reputation in the criminal underworld for his skills in the first episode.

Directed by Chad Stahelski from a screenplay by Derek Kolstad, the original release also starred Michael Nyqvist, Alfie Allen, Adrianne Palicki, Bridget Moynahan, Dean Winters, Ian McShane, John Leguizamo and Willem Dafoe.

John Wick became a hit at the worldwide box office, grossing $87.8 million against a budget of $20-30 million.

Stahelski and Kolstad teamed up for the sequel that followed about three years later with Moynahan, Leguizamo and McShane reprising their roles, along with new cast members Common, Laurence Fishburne, Ruby Rose, Lance Reddick, Peter Stormare and Franco Nero.

John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017) did even better at the box office, grossing $171.5 million on a budget of around $40 million.

Stahelski returned to the director’s chair for John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019), but this time working from a screenplay by Kolstad, Shay Hatten, Chris Collins and Marc Abrams.

New cast members for round three include Halle Berry, Mark Dacascos, Anjelica Huston and Asia Kate Dillon.

Following the trend of the first two films, Chapter 3 surpassed both previous installments at the box office, earning a whopping $327 million against a $75 million budget.

Bonafide hit: The John Wick franchise debuted in 2014 and grossed $87.8 million against a budget of between $20 and 30 million; Keanu Reeves in John Wick (2014)

Top Money: Each subsequent sequel surpassed the previous films at the box office, leading to a $1 billion milestone with Chapter 4

Tragic loss: The late John Wick star Lance Reddick passed away on March 17 at the age of 60, just as promotion for Chapter 4 ramped up

Reeves returned for the latest in the franchise alongside such cast regulars as Ian McShane (Winston), the late Lance Reddick (Charon) and Laurence Fishburne (Bowery King).

Sadly, Reddick passed away suddenly on March 17, just as the promotional push for Chapter 4 of the franchise intensified.

A cause of death at age 60 was attributed to heart disease.

Along with the John Wick movies, the Baltimore, Maryland native was also best known for his role in the popular HBO crime drama The Wire.