‘John Wick: Chapter 4’ tops the box office with a $73.5 million opening weekend

With “John Wick: Chapter 4,” Keanu Reeves scored yet another box office success.

According to studio estimates, the neo-noir thriller made $73.5 million, which is a franchise record for a story about a hitman on a vengeful mission.

The movie made $137.5 million worldwide at the box office, which included $64 million in international sales in addition to its domestic haul.

“John Wick” first debuted in 2014, and acquired $14 million on its initial end of the week. Every new “Wick” movie has consistently performed better than its opening weekend.

“John Wick:” in 2017 Chapter 2 made $30.4 million, while “Parabellum,” the third movie, opened with $56.8 million.

“When you make a fourth in an action franchise, you have to expect it to go down. That is the nature of these franchises,” Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chairman Joe Drake stated. “But we kept seeing signals and it was wonderful to see the movie they delivered. We saw the audience wanting more.”

A few spinoffs of the series, which is directed by Chad Stahelski, are also in the works.

“Ballerina” was shot by Ana de Armas and the “The Matrix” actor, and Mel Gibson is working on a Peacock miniseries called “The Continental.”

“Chad and Keanu have created this world and that world continues to expand. I don’t know what all the edges of that world are, still,” Drake said. “As best they can, they’ll continue to try to seduce Keanu to come back and do things. He gets beat up in these shows. He really does. And at the end he’s like, ‘I’m not doing it anymore.’ Then you watch him sit in the theater and feel that audience.”

“Shazam! With $9.7 million, “Fury of the Gods” came in second at the box office, followed by “Scream VI,” which made $8.4 million. Avatar: Even though “The Way of Water” finished 10th, it still made $1.4 million.

In one of Keanu’s final roles, “Chapter 4” also features Donnie Yen, Laurence Fishburne, Bill Skarsgard, Ian McShane, Shamier Anderson, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Lance Reddick.

On March 17, Reddick passed away “suddenly” from natural causes. He was 60.

Reddick was most popular for his driving job as strict Baltimore police lieutenant Cedric Daniels on the hit HBO series “The Wire.” As the head of the narcotics division, Daniels had to deal with departmental corruption. In all of the “John Wick” films, the actor played Charon, a multi-talented Continental Hotel concierge.

Reeves and Stahelski issued a joint statement via Deadline following his passing.

They stated in their letter, “We are deeply saddened and heartbroken at the loss of our beloved friend and colleague Lance Reddick,” they wrote.

“He was the consummate professional and a joy to work with. Our love and prayers are with his wife Stephanie, his children, family and friends. We dedicate the film to his loving memory. We will miss him dearly.”

A statement on behalf of the studio was released by Lionsgate.

“The world of Wick would not be what it is without Lance Reddick and the unparalleled depth he brought to Charon’s humanity and unflappable charisma,” the studio said. “Lance leaves behind an indelible legacy and hugely impressive body of work, but we will remember him as our lovely, joyful friend and concierge. We’re stunned and heartbroken, and our deepest condolences go to his beloved family and his fans all around the world.”