The newest entry in the Keanu Reeves action franchise John Wick is here and if the opening night numbers are any indication, John Wick is going to assassinate the entire domestic box office. The movie brought in just short of $6 million last night, setting it well on the way for what is likely to be a $40-$50 million opening weekend.
John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum brought in $5.9 million in Thursday night previews. That's more than double what John Wick: Chapter 2 did in 2017, as that film "only" brought in $2.2 million. That's an impressive number not only because it's a franchise best, but because, as an R-rated movie, the film has a more limited audiences than your normal PG-13 blockbuster. John Wick: Chapter 3 out did both of the last two James Bond movies in Thursday night numbers, which had a much wider reach due to the lower rating.
Deadline is projecting a $50 million opening weekend for John Wick 3 which is up from the $30-$40 million that was being projected only a couple of days ago. Either way, it looks like Parabellum will be the movie to finally defeat the Avengers. Endgame is projected to bring in $30 million this weekend, which will still be good for second place more than likely, but it looks like the Avengers reign at the top of the box office will end with three weekends.
If John Wick: Chapter 3 does win the weekend, it will set another record of sorts, as it will be the first time that Mr. Wick has held that position. Neither of the previous two films ever won a box office weekend, though both were still able to become quite successful.
The first John Wick movie finished its box office run with just over $40 million domestic and just under $90 million worldwide. John Wick Chapter 2 finished up at $92 million and $171 respectively. If Chapter 3 is able to keep its Thursday night pace going, it will very easily become the first of the franchise to break the $100 million mark domestically.
When combined with international numbers that would virtually guarantee that this franchise isn't going anywhere, and considering that pretty much everybody involved in the series is happy to just keep making these movies until the fans give up, that may be exactly what is going to happen.
The only other new releases for the weekend are the romantic drama The Sun is Also a Star and A Dog's Journey. The dog movie is looking at an opening in the mid-teens while Star will likely open in with less than $10 million. At the same time, both were much smaller movies all around and thus still have the potential to be successes in their own way.
John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum will likely have trouble keeping its own box office crown after this weekend. Disney's remake of Aladdin is set to debut next weekend, which will almost certainly put the House of Mouse back on top of the box office.
