Keanu Reeves has starred in numerous big-studio films including Chad Stahelski’s John Wick film series, 1994’s Speed, Scott Derickson-helmed sci-fi drama The Day the Earth Stood Still, and countless others. And yet, The Matrix franchise continues to be his most profitable project in the entirety of his Hollywood career.
The first film in the Wachowskis-helmed franchise was not only a booming success at the box office but also earned glowing reviews from the critics with its gripping cinematography and unique visual effects winning over the audience and critics alike. But while The Matrix (1999) soared high in the clouds of glory on all fronts, its successors were only able to establish a good box office performance with the films otherwise falling flat in front of unimpressed viewers.
Despite getting bombed by the audience though, the movies still ended up becoming Reeves’ highest-grossing films, leaving him with millions even after sub-par ratings and seething criticism.
How The Matrix Sequels Marred the Franchise
More than 2 decades ago, Warner Bros. Pictures delivered the iconic sci-fi drama starring Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss opposite Laurence Fishburne which did wonders at the box office. Infusing spellbinding action with a futuristic vision, The Matrix soon became the poster child for ‘sci-fi done right.’ Grossing over $460 million worldwide, the film turned out to be a giant commercial as well as a critical success.
Then came the underwhelming 2003 sequel, The Matrix Reloaded, which obliterated the audience’s expectations with its obfuscating plot that left viewers with the inexplicably disappointing feeling that something was just missing.
The Matrix Revolutions too shared a similar fate of tragically mediocre reviews stemming from a muddled narrative leading to a disjointed plot, stretched and futile action scenes that evoked sheer boredom, and a wholly unsatisfying ending that served as the icing to the already terrible cake. It was dragged through the mud to a point where it was determined to be the worst of the trilogy. Last but not least comes Matrix 4, the latest addition to the sci-fi franchise which was released back in 2021.
But the sequel had one thing of importance that the other films lacked – The Matrix 2 ended up grossing a monumental sum at the box office even after being received poorly by critics while the others turned out to be more or less box office bombs.
Keanu Reeves Earned A Fortune Even After The Matrix Films Flopped
While The Matrix Reloaded failed to accomplish anything substantial on the critical front, it still managed to make a whopping $741.8 million at the global box office, becoming the most economically successful R-rated movie at that time.
Meanwhile, The Matrix 3 grossed around $427 million worldwide, which approximates roughly half of what its direct predecessor made. And The Matrix Resurrections did even worse than the third part by gathering a meager sum of $159.1 million in the global circuit against a hefty budget of $190 million, clearly tanking at the box office. Even so, Reeves brought home a colossal profit of about $156 million as Thomas Anderson, aka, Neo, from the franchise.
The 58-year-old Canadian actor reportedly bagged $10 million as a base salary for the first film that kickstarted The Matrix franchise back in 1999 and anywhere around $12-15 million for The Matrix Resurrections (2021).
So Reeves is clearly not falling short of cash anytime soon.
Source: LADbible
