'John Wick: Chapter 4' tops box office with franchise-record $73.5 million debut

foxnews.com:

Keanu Reeves landed another hit at the box office with "John Wick: Chapter 4." Studio estimates revealed the neo-noir thriller earned $73.5 million, a franchise-best for the saga about a hitman on a vengeful quest.

In addition to its domestic haul, the film brought in another $64 million internationally for a global tally of $137.5 million at the box office. "John Wick" first premiered in 2014, and earned $14 million on its opening weekend.

Each new "Wick" flick has steadily outperformed on its debut weekend. In 2017, "John Wick: Chapter 2," raked in $30.4 million, while the third installment, "Parabellum," debuted with $56.8 million. "When you make a fourth in an action franchise, you have to expect it to go down.That is the nature of these franchises," said Joe Drake, chairman of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group. "But we kept seeing signals and it was wonderful to see the movie they delivered.

We saw the audience wanting more." The Chad Stahelski-directed series also has a few spinoffs in the works. Ana de Armas and "The Matrix" actor have shot "Ballerina," while a miniseries called "The Continental" is in the works with Mel Gibson at Peacock. "Chad and Keanu have created this world and that world continues to expand.