John Wick 5 is back on the table after box office bombing – The Hollywood Reporter

[The following story contains spoilers for John Wick: Chapter 4.]

Yes, Lionsgate thinks John Wick is back.

John Wick: Chapter 4 It was widely expected to be the final installment in a major action franchise, but a fifth installment is back on the table after the film’s impressive opening at the global box office, according to Lionsgate Motion Picture Group President Joe Drake.

Directed by Chad Stahelski and featuring Keanu Reeves in the titular role as the iconic killer, the unstoppable action pic brought in a whopping $73.8 million domestically following original reviews and A CinemaScore from audiences. Overseas, the results were impressive, with the film debuting to $67.6 million from 71 markets to a worldwide debut of $141.4 million, a record on all fronts.

The work of the fifth installment of John Wick No small challenge considering Reeves’ character apparently meets his death at the end Chapter 4. But Drake said on Sunday Hollywood Reporter that it John Wick 5 The question is no longer valid. It’s a face-to-face possibility for the creative team, as Stahelski mentioned that he and Reeves were fairly certain this was the end. (They had previously considered making a fourth and fifth film back-to-back.)

“There is will and there is openness. You can certainly interpret this ending in different ways,” Drake said. “We’ll take a break here and then brainstorm whether there’s a reliable way to get to five. But there is no guarantee.”

Drake noted, “Keanu and Chad, right about that, are very protective of never messing with the audience. So we definitely have our own work… Keanu is very likable and that character is very likable; that’s not lost on him.”

Nor did he lose out on Reeves John Wick 4 is the second-best domestic opening of his live-action career, behind it The Matrix Reloadedwhich started with $91.8 domestically two decades ago in 2003. (On the animated side, Reeves was part of the voice cast for Pixar Toy Story 4which grossed $121 million domestically in its first weekend in 2019).

Regardless of John Wick 5Fate, there will be more of Reeves as a character in the future, though not in the lead role. appears in ballet dancer, the first part of the series starring Ana de Armas as yet another determined killer. Ian McShane, Anjelica Huston and the late Lance Reddick also participate in the film, which is expected to hit theaters next year, and takes place between the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum And John Wick: Chapter 4 Directed by Len Wiseman.

“it is in ballet dancerAnd, interestingly, in very strategic ways. “We’re talking about two more that he could definitely be involved with,” Drake said. “I know Chad has a bunch of really great ideas.”

While Reeves and Stahelsky seemed very firm that Baba Yaga was dead when he appeared in The Southwest Film and Television Festivaland edit Chapter 4Wick’s final moments leave enough mystery (Wick isn’t clearly shown dead) to give the filmmakers some wiggle room if they want to bring him back with some sort of fake – his death – revelation.

There’s also another possibility, if Reeves wants to return to the role – making a prequel before Wick retires to settle down with his wife, though that would require Wick to play a much younger version of the character than we’ve seen before. Fortunately, as one SXSW audience member noted to Reeves, he doesn’t seem to get any older. “Yeah, man, I’m old,” Reeves, 58, wearily replied. “It’s happening, man.”

Drake hinted at a prelude as a possibility, stating “You can definitely go early [with the story]. ”

This SXSW check was the key to the latest push for a marketing campaign that even competitors have been praising. Led by Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Vice President Adam Fogelson, along with Motion Picture Group Chief Marketing Officer J.P. Richards and Co-Chair Kerry Moore, the campaign cemented that John Wick is a man – versus a superhero – whose journey is motivated by love and painful loss. .

In a recent interview with THR Before the film opened in theaters, Stahelski stated that he and Reeves were fairly sure this was the end, despite Lionsgate’s reluctance. He said the studio’s response to killing off Wick was – in his words – “What do you really think?”

However, Stahelski was not a complete opponent for his fifth outing.

“wicks Always, for some strange reason, always get the latest release date in Japan. the director said in a separate interview, imagining how they could dream of five. “Keanu and I are going to take a long trip to Tokyo, and we’ll sit at the Imperial Hotel Scotch Bar and go, ‘What do you think?'” We’ll have a couple of 20-year-old whiskeys and write some ideas for napkins. If those ideas stick around, maybe we’ll make a movie.”

The possibility of a fifth also comes in a world where many actors seem to have retired from roles, but have come back.

Comscore’s Paul Dergarabedian notes: “Many boxers, rock band and sports star have announced their retirement only to change his mind, so while the future of the beloved and legendary killer would be indecisive, it would be unwise to count John Wick at this point and given the incredible success of this release.” The latter, it is clear that fans around the world are not ready to say au revoir to the great Baba Yaga. Nor should the studio.