In 2014, Keanu Reeves was coming off a string of films that were either critical or commercial failures. However, when John Wick premiered in 2014, he made one of the most epic Hollywood comebacks. The film grossed $86 million worldwide, against a $20 – 30 million budget. Meanwhile, Reeves’ performance as John Wick, has been hailed as one of his best performances of all time. Alongside his role as Neo in The Matrix, Wick truly is one of his most iconic roles and the name has become synonymous with the actor.
John Wick is an action thriller film that follows Wick, a former assassin, grieving the death of his wife. After her death, Wick receives a beagle puppy named Daisy, that his wife had arranged for him to receive after her death to help him with his grief. The two quickly bond and spend a happy day together that is only interrupted once when a Russian gang tries to get Wick to sell them his car, which Wick refuses. However, in one of the most enraging scenes in film history, the Russian gang breaks into his home later, kill his dog, and steal his car. Wick quickly gets back into the assassination business as he seeks vengeance on the gang.
John Wick was met with very positive critical reception. The performances, action, visuals, and dark tone were especially praised by viewers. As a result, John Wick quickly grew into a multimedia franchise. It produced several sequels, as well as comic books and video games. Additionally, a spin-off TV show, The Continental, is being developed. Lionsgate capitalized on the success of the first film and the franchise is only continuing to grow.
How many John Wick films are there?
So far, there are a total of three John Wick films. They are—John Wick, John Wick: Chapter 2, and John Wick: Chapter 3: Parabellum. Every single one of them has been considered both a critical and commercial success. Also, fans can rest assured that there will definitely be more John Wick films. John Wick: Chapter 4 is already in development and will be released sometime in 2023. There even could potentially be a John Wick: Part 5. A 5th John Wick movie was previously confirmed and was to be shot back-to-back with John Wick 4. However, production delays led Lionsgate to put a pause on John Wick 5 and to only focus on John Wick 4, for now.
Even if there is not a 5th film, the franchise is still branching out in other directions. A spin-off film set in the John Wick universe, called Ballerina, is officially in development. There has also been some discussion about a potential spin-off film focusing on Sofia (Halle Berry). Hence, fans can look forward to far more John Wick beyond the three films that have been released.
(Featured image: Lionsgate)
