‘John Wick: Chapter 4’: $70M+ Opening A Franchise Record, Best For Lionsgate In Pandemic Era – Saturday Box Office Update

SATURDAY AM: Lionsgate’s John Wick: Chapter 4 received its best grade ever from audiences with a solid A CinemaScore and 5 Stars on Comscore/Screen Engine’s PostTrak and grosses held largely steady over Friday night with $29.4M, still the best opening day for the franchise on its way to a series record $70.6M debut. Imax and PLFs are driving 38% of ticket sales here. In regards to admissions, EntTelligence reports that over a third of the pic’s foot traffic has been in Imax, PLF and 4DX locations. At a ratio that high, and as the box office comes back from the pandemic, we just need more of those auditoriums, no?

More great exits on John Wick: Chapter 4 show 93% on PostTrak, an 82% definite recommend, the latter which is higher than Jon Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum‘s 75% definite recommend.

The latest installment was 69% guy-leaning, 56% between 18-34 with 31% between 25-34, the latter the largest quad. Diversity demos strong across all sectors with 32% Caucasian (vs. Parbellum‘s 42%), 28% Latino and Hispanic (vs 22%), 19% Black (same as last film), & 21% Asian/other (vs. 14%).

Similar to Parabellum, guys over 25 were the biggest group, this time at a huge 48% (vs. part 3’s 45%), followed by women over 25 at 22% which tied with guys under 25 at the same ratio. Women under 25 didn’t care, showing up at 8%. For Parabellum, women over 25 clocked 29%, while males under 25 were at 18%. High grades from men under/over 25 and women over 25 at north of 93% for part 4.

The fourthquel played best in the West, South Central and South. The AMC Burbank was at the top of that list with Friday ticket sales of $94K. Yesterday alone, John Wick: Chapter 4 had 14 locations grossing well over $50K. Average ticket price for Chapter 4 per EntTelligence is $13.62. Walk-up business is solid with 59% of the audience buying their tickets the day they saw Chapter 4 per PostTrak. Fifty-five percent bought tickets because they love the franchise while 47% went because it stars Keanu Reeves.

After watching this 2 hour and 49 minute running movie, 26% of those polled by PostTrak say they’d see it again, while 54% say they’ll watch it again in the home market either through buying/renting DVDs or digitally.

All movies during the 12th weekend of 2023 are expected to gross an estimated $113.1M per industry figures, which is +38% from a year ago ($82M) when Paramount’s Lost City opened to $30.4M, but 24% off from the same weekend in 2019 ($148.8M) which is when Universal opened Jordan Peele’s Us to $71.1M.

Other things happening this weekend:

MGM/United Artists Releasing’s Zach Braff drama, A Good Person, starring Florence Pugh and Morgan Freeman, is seeing a $275K Friday and a $775K opening weekend at 530 locations from 102 markets. Audiences liked it better than critics, 96% to 55% on Rotten Tomatoes. Coasts are the best for the drama, especially the west which is accounting for 35% of its gross in the No. 11 spot.

IFC has Stephen Frears’ The Lost King which made its world premiere at TIFF, hitting 753 screens in 144 markets. The Sally Hawkins and Steve Coogan comedy drama was 76% fresh with Rotten Tomatoes critics, 87% with audiences. Not impressive here with an estimated $170K yesterday for a $487K opening for a $646 per theater.

More…chart coming

1.) John Wick: Chapter 4 (LG) 3,855 theaters, Fri $29.4M, 3-day $70.6M 3-day/Wk 1

2.) Scream VI (Par) 3,355 theaters (-321), Fri $2.46M (-53%), 3-day $8.875M (-49%), Total $90.3M/Wk 3

3.) Shazam! Fury of the Gods (WB) 4,071 theaters, Fri $2.35M (-80%), 3-day $8.6M (-71%), Total $45.2M/ Wk 2

4.) Creed III (MGM) 3,207 theaters (-270), Fri $2.279M (-48%), 3-day $8.1M (-47%), Total $140.6M/Wk 4

5.) Ico II (Sony) 1,992 theaters, Fri $1.15M (-49%), 3-day $4.8M (-48%), Total $469.2M/Wk 7

6.) 65 (Sony) 2,786 (-619) theaters, Fri $855K (-46%), 3-day $3.25M (-44%), Total $27.8M/Wk 3

7.) Ant-man and the Wasp Quantumania (Dis) 1,915 (-735) theaters, Fri $609k (-48%) 3-day $2.1M (-49%), Total $209.5M/Wk 6

8.) Cocaine Bear (Uni) 2,207 (-480) theaters, Fri $590k (-47%), 3-day $2.05M (-48%)/Total $62M/Wk 5

9.) Jesus Revolution (LG) 1,964 theaters (-390), Fri $540K (-44%) 3-day $2M (-43%)/Total $49M/ Wk 5

10.) Champions (Foc) 1,917 (-1,122) theaters, Fri $410K (-52%) 3-day $1.47M (-53%)/Total $13.4M/Wk 3

FRIDAY MIDDAY: As of right now, Lionsgate’s John Wick: Chapter 4 will be north of its high-end $70M projection in the low $70Ms, after a $30M Friday at 3,855 theaters. That’s easily the best opening day ever for a John Wick movie, bound for a franchise-record stateside debut. It’s amazing when you compare the fourthquel’s opening day to 2017’s John Wick: Chapter 2, which posted an opening weekend of $30.4M.