Laxmi Rajput
John Wick 4 set the record at the box office. The film not only left behind the previous films in the franchise but also went above some of the recently released films, including Shazam! 2 and Ant-Man 3. Despite being part of two of the most popular superhero films, both of them were not able to score big as compared to their predecessors.
As John Wick: Chapter 4 has taken the lead at the box office, netizens have started speculating whether this is the beginning of the end for the popular superhero franchises.
Read More: John Wick Chapter 4 Box Office Collection: Is This the End of Keanu Reeves’ $574 Million Franchise
John Wick 4 Records a Great Opening Weekend
Released last week John Wick 4 has surpassed the previous films under the neo-noir action franchise with a remarkable $73.5 million in its opening weekend. The Keanu Reeves feature continues the tale of the assassin John Wick on his mission to take down the crime organization, High Table.
The fourth film in the franchise debuted at No.1 in 71 markets and bagged $64 million at the international box office. John Wick 4 is the most expensive John Wick film so far, taking its production cost to over $100 million. The film collected $137.5 million globally in its opening weekend.
The first film under the franchise opened with $14 million, the sequel recorded $30.4 million, and John Wick 3 grossed $56.8 million in its opening weekend. The threequel is also the highest-grossing film in the franchise. And its entry at the box office, it can be assumed that John Wick 4 would possibly take over the threequel in those terms as well.
With John Wick: Chapter 4 thriving at the box office amid failed performances from DC and Marvel films. And netizens believe that John Wick’s success proves that people are slowly losing interest in these popular superhero franchises.
Read More: John Wick Chapter 4 POST-CREDITS SCENE EXPLAINED
Are People Not Interested in Superhero Films Anymore?
Both Marvel and DC have a huge fan base. Despite their massive following, some of the recent films under both franchises have been struggling at the box office. Marvel’s recent release, Ant-Man 3, became the lowest earner in the Ant-Man franchise, currently standing at $470 million worldwide.
As for DC, Shazam! Fury of the Gods has not been its best at the box office as well. The Zachary Levi feature managed to cross the mark of $100 million at the worldwide box office, as it records a huge drop in box office earnings during its second weekend. Filmmakers have described James Gunn’s reboot to be the reason behind its failure at the box office.
They claimed that fans are not interested in following up with a character or its story, who has an uncertain future. And these films’ failure has led netizens to discuss if the glory of superhero films is waning at the box office. The results would be determined with the release of future superhero films.
Anybody who says "John Wick 4 crushing Shazam 2 proves that superhero movie fatigue is finally here" is either hoping to will that into existence or hasn't thought about it for more than a second.
— Nando (@NandovMovies) March 26, 2023
Yes nando, I do hope to will it into existence. I want more good movies made and less mediocre ones to thrive based off brand recognition. The failure of Shazam and antman is a good sign that future may be closer then we thought. Glad we had this talk.
— Friends_with_salad (@paramore_dean) March 27, 2023
I do feel like there's SOME superhero fatigue, but it's also just not as major as some ppl make it out to be.
They expect it to totally crater the franchise, bit it's just moving a little slower. Not every entry is the "Must See" movie event, and they're not trying to be.— Dixon Brandywine (@DixonBrandywine) March 27, 2023
Yeah at this point people are rooting for the downfall of superhero movies. It sucks because you saw so many critics that critiqued AntMan more for MCU fatigue rather than the movie itself.
— Optimistic (@carrasquilloc1) March 26, 2023
Ant-Man and Shazam are extreme examples, but I suspect superhero movies will continue to dip a bit in the next few years. Partly because fatigue, but more that people feel burned by a string of movies and shows with overall mixed reception.
— Kevin牛 (@KevinCow) March 27, 2023
If anything, Quantumania's box office performance is a much better indicator of superhero movie fatigue.
— Guy (@GodAllMighty12) March 26, 2023
Marvel has lined up Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 for 5 May 2023 and The Flash is the next DC film to be released on 16 June 2023. It would be interesting to see if these respective DC and Marvel films would make it big at the box office.
John Wick 4 is playing in theatres now.
Read More: John Wick Chapter 4 ENDING EXPLAINED
Source: Twitter
