Something nice this week, it shows that John Wick's cult fanbase had real growth, more than doubling its OW and showing some growth overseas, too.
I thought this would perform similarly to Underworld 2 or Resident Evil 2 (low-mid 20s OW/5-8 OS OW). Why did this improve as much as it did?
Skipping page long posts for over a year now.
One reason would be that the first massively under-performed imo, it got a giant release including an IMAX one, had excellent review, an very easy to sell high concept, a very comic book feel while the style was really popular, Keanu Reeve and didn't do 15 million. I thought it would do close to Deadpool at the time (lol)
Nothing did 20 million that weekend in 2014, while this weekend got really big.
A good part of the question, is why the previous entry didn't do 20-25 million ? I guess there is some randomness with this, and just no virtuous circle that started with that movie for some reason.
With the way the production became bigger for the sequels with how a low box office for the first one, I would imagine it the mix of well received in theater + a good success on Home video that explain it, the same as a terminator/matrix/pitch perfect but at a much smaller level.
Um, no. It actually over-performed. http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Keanu-Reeves-Back-Indie-John-Wick-Over-Performs-Box-Office-67893.html
It had virtually no buzz, a has-been star fresh off a blockbuster disaster (that Ronin movie), and was the kind of film that could have easily been buried if audiences didn't take to it. It didn't do gangbuster business, but it did well considering its $14mil opening weekend, and became Lionsgate's third highest selling home video release of all time (behind Hunger Games).
After ten years or so, I've finally changed my signature!
Um, no. It actually over-performed.
14 million was overperforming for the opening weekend ?
It had 85% on Rotten tomatoes.
High concept genre movie:
Ex-hitman John Wick realizes one night he has to come out of retirement in order to seek revenge from gangsters who had ruined his life.
They made a special IMAX release and opened on a large 2,589 screen
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/keanu-reeves-john-wick-get-737550
Imax is reuniting with The Matrix star Keanu Reeves to release a digitally supersized version of his assassin film John Wick domestically.
What would have been the expected opening for a movie like that if 14 is overperforming, 11 million ?
and became Lionsgate's third highest selling home video release of all time
I have no doubt it did really well on home video (that was part of my message)
And became Lionsgate's third highest selling home video release of all time (behind Hunger Games).
I would have imagined that the late Twilight sequels distributed by Liongates and some of the Saws movie would be ahead (they were made right in the peak of home video sales), maybe even the first Now You see me (it did 350 million worldwide after all the year before John Wick, that did only 80 million).
I remember a lot of us thinking it would perform like Dredd (2012), a R-rated action film that got good reviews but flopped at the box office.
While the concept was easy to sell, people at that point had tired of the "aging actor gets revenge" film that the likes of Liam Neeson, Denzel Washington (Equalizer), Kevin Costner (3 Days to Kill), and Sean Penn (The Gunman, which came out a few months alter) starred in.
The trailer for the first John Wick film only came out like a month before release, so I was thinking it was gonna go straight-to-VOD.
I already have enough weird friends as it is.
According to Variety, the movie was tracking for a measley $7-8 million on opening weekend, so it did indeed overperform. Most people had assumed the movie was going to be a flop, given that it had little to no buzz before reviews started coming in.
shareHum... I was being one of those weird fanboy overestimating a movie potential.
shareWell u weren't nearly as off as I was about the coming Emma Watson Beauty and the beast. Thought that would make maybe 70M in total domestic. Had no idea it would be a behemoth
shareWhy did you think it would be anywhere near that low (Cinderella numbers would be a bare minimum I think). All the recent Disney studio animation to live action remakes have been big hits, and Beauty and the Beast is the most loved film of the group.
share