With its overseas rollout beginning on Wednesday, "John Wick: Chapter 4," produced by Lionsgate, Thunder Road Films, and 87 Eleven, is showing a strong start at the international box office. Early estimates show that the film has earned approximately $3.9 million in just a few markets, including Australia and New Zealand's Thursday launches. The domestic previews on Thursday have also been reported to be around $8 million, which is a franchise-best according to industry estimates.
The Keanu Reeves-led fourth installment of the action franchise is set to open in 71 international box office markets this weekend, which is the largest day-and-date release for the series. The projected global earnings for the weekend are $115 million, with $45 million coming from offshore. In 2019, "John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum" earned $36.9 million in its international opening and a total of $93.75 million worldwide, which was a previous record start for the series. However, "Chapter 4" is expected to surpass this record due to its release in major territories such as Germany, France, and Spain, which were not included in the opening suite of "Parabellum."
In Latin America, early paid previews on Wednesday brought in $994,000, with Brazil leading the pack with $328,000 followed by Mexico with $240,000. Only 60% of cinemas in Latin America held previews, indicating a positive outlook for the film's opening weekend. Keanu Reeves even visited Brazil's CCXP last December to promote the film.
Premieres for "Chapter 4" were held recently at Berlin's Zoo Palast and Paris' Grand Rex, which generated excitement for the film's release.
Germany, a consistent top market for the John Wick movies, grossed an estimated $635,000 in previews on Wednesday evening, which is 40% higher than the previous installment. Regular shows began on Thursday on over 800 screens, making it the widest R-rated release in the market in the last decade.
In France, "Chapter 4" launched at No. 1 with $543,000 from 557 screens, despite social unrest and protests in major cities. The film's start was 35% ahead of "John Wick: Chapter 3," and it currently holds the best critical and audience scores of the series on AlloCiné.
In Taiwan, "Chapter 4" was also No. 1, earning an estimated $418,000, which is 17% higher than "John Wick: Chapter 3" and 273% higher than last weekend's opener, "Shazam! Fury of the Gods."
On Thursday, Australia earned $681,000 on 259 screens ($1 million when including Wednesday's previews). The opening day represented 66% of the entire box office and was 56% ahead of "John Wick: Chapter 3." This makes it the biggest launch day for Studiocanal since "Twilight: Breaking Dawn - Part 2" and the best for any non-studio title since "Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2."
Other markets also saw strong openings, including New Zealand with $140,000 through Thursday, 36% higher than "John Wick: Chapter 3," and Sweden and Finland, where "Chapter 4" opened at No. 1 with $100,000 and $74,000, respectively.
The UK and Spain will open the film today. Traditionally, the top markets for the franchise have been a mix of the UK, Germany, Mexico, Australia, and Korea, with the latter opening in April along with the Middle East. Japan's release is set for the fall.