Box Office Report for the Week of March 26

Yeah, I’m thinking the movies are back.

John Wick: Chapter 4, the sequel to a purely ORIGINAL film based on no pre-existing IP, has reached a franchise milestone. The movie is not only the best-reviewed of the franchise but also the highest-grossing, tallying up an impressive $73.5 million domestic opening and $137.5 million internationally. It’s the third film this weekend to have a record opening for the franchise, with Scream VI and Creed III also tallying up franchise-best opening weekends.

It’s also Keanu Reeves‘ second-biggest film of his career and the second highest-grossing opening of 2023, behind Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. However, Ant-Man dropped precipitously in its second weekend, and it doesn’t look like John Wick will do the same. The first film was a sleeper hit amongst audiences and critics and almost never saw the light of day. But as the sequels got better, so did the box office. It’s unclear if there will be a John Wick: Chapter 5, but Reeves has returned to the role of Baba Yaga in Len Wiseman‘s Ballerina, starring Ana de Armas in the title role. A prequel series, The Continental, starring Colin Woodell and Mel Gibson, is expected to release on Peacock during the fall.

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania didn’t drop as precipitously as Shazam! Fury of the Gods. The movie will not even break even at the box office; its worldwide drop was a staggering 80% compared to last week’s box office. Are we witnessing the end of superhero movies? Again, no, but audiences are undoubtedly tired of bad superhero movies. There’s a reason why John Wick: Chapter 4 did so well. Yes, the first three installments were well-received, but would the fourth chapter make as much money if the reviews were terrible? Probably not. Ant-Man and Shazam! were both the victims of bad superhero fatigue and will hopefully signal to studios that they cannot take the easy road while making a film.

Audiences are no longer fooled, especially after seeing how great a blockbuster can be with John Wick: Chapter 4. Shazam! didn’t even finish in second place, with Creed III going from third to second, finishing the weekend with a $10.4 million tally. The film is still making massive money, though Amazon announced that they plan to release it digitally on March 31. As much as the pandemic isn’t over, studios don’t need to do this anymore. Most audiences have come back to the cinema. Let your movies play in theatres, especially if it has strong legs like Creed III.

Here’s the full list of the top ten films of the week:

1. John Wick: Chapter 4 (Lionsgate): $73.5M – 3,855 theatres
2. Creed III (MGM): $10.4M (-32.1%) – 3,207 theatres
3. Shazam! Fury of the Gods (Warner Bros/DC Studios): $9.7M (-67.8%) – 4,071 theatres
4. Scream VI (Paramount): $8.4M (-51.5%) – 3,355 theatres
5. 65 (Sony): $3.2M (-44.5%) – 2,786 theatres
6. Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (Disney): $2.4M (-42.6%) – 1,915 theatres
7. Cocaine Bear (Universal): $2.09M (-47.2%) – 2,207 theatres
8. Jesus Revolution (Lionsgate): $2.0M (-42.6%) – 1,964 theatres
9. Champions (Universal): $1.5M (-50.4%) – 1,917 theatres
10. Avatar: The Way of Water (Disney): $1.4M (-33.3%) – 935 theatres

Source: Box Office Mojo