‘John Wick: Chapter 4’ box office projections underline its credentials as the best cinematic universe in the business

With a spinoff and a prequel series on the way, John Wick is officially a cinematic universe, and fans of the top-tier action franchise couldn’t be any happier.

Of course, the real question is whether or not three-part small screen blockbuster The Continental or the Ana de Armas-fronted Ballerina can live up to the lofty standard set by the Keanu Reeves ass-kickers, especially when the upcoming Chapter 4 is set to continue the saga’s relentless upwards trajectory at the box office.

The latest estimates have Reeves’ fourth outing as the sharp-suited assassin debuting in the $60-70 million range, which is incredible when you consider how far the property has come in less than a decade. By comparison, the first installment earned $88 million in total at the global box office, with earnings almost quadrupling between the opener and Chapter 3‘s $326 million haul.

Based on the most recent figures, Chapter 4 is going to blow past that benchmark and set a new record high for John Wick, ensuring that Reeves may well get to live up to his promise of continuing to churn out new blood-soaked and bullet-riddled adventures until audiences begin to grow tired of seeing him drop bodies.

That doesn’t appear to be anywhere close to appearing on the horizon, and with Chapter 5 having already been announced a while back before plans to shoot it back-to-back with the fourth entry were dropped, can we make it to the magical half-dozen before the wholesome hero decides to bow out? He might be turning 59 this year, but there’s still plenty of gas left in the tank.