The John Wick franchise continues to top itself one film after another. First, it was Wick (Keanu Reeves) killing an assassin — or two — with a pencil; then, the action star turned around to kill another with an innocent library book in John Wick: Chapter 3. Now, franchise creator Derek Kolstad jokingly suggests the franchise is heading to space.
The writer took over DiscussingFilm’s Twitter for a fan Q&A session earlier today and that’s when he teased fans with the best situation possible. “Space,” Kolstad tweeted when one fan asked where the franchise goes next. “I mean, come on. It is the fourth one after all.”
Videos by ComicBook.com
The critically-acclaimed franchise is known for its outlandish ways in which its titular characters dispatches of those he comes in contact with, so I’m pretty sure I’m not alone when I say John Wick in Space would be killer. The only problem would be the increased budget that comes with it all — especially when the franchise itself takes pride on using a relatively small budget.
Though studios typically don’t report on how much certain films cost to make — reports suggest John Wick: Chapter 3 cost just $75 million to make, certainly a far cry from the $150m+ typically spent on superhero blockbusters. Because of the tight budget, the John Wick franchise has become a big earned for Lionsgate and Summit Entertainment with each of the three released films earning the studio a good hunk of change.
John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum is by and large the best-performing film of the bunch, having grossed $321.5m worldwide. If we go by the Hollywood standard of having to double a film’s budget before it breaks even, that means the Chad Stahelski-directed movie still walked away with a hearty $171.5m.
While John Wick: Chapter 2 and the initial John Wick both made less money at the box office, each of the films cost substantially less to make. Chapter 2 grossed $171.5m worldwide against a reported budget of $40m while John Wick earned $88.8m against a budget of just $20m.
Using the aforementioned model to allow for a film’s prints and advertising budget, all three films have earned Lionsgate more than enough money to keep the franchise afloat — which, in turn, means maybe…just maybe…it’ll stay afloat long enough to see Wick in space.
What hopes do you have for the fourth John Wick entry? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below or by tweeting me at @AdamBarnhardt!
John Wick: Chapter 4 enters theaters May 21, 2021.