The box office has a new king, and his name is John Wick. The third installment of the hyperviolent Keanu Reeves franchise has taken the top spot at the North American box office and ended the three-week reign of "Avengers: Endgame."
Studios on Sunday say "John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum" has grossed an estimated $57 million in its opening weekend. Not only did it far exceed expectations, it's a franchise best that nearly doubled the opening of the second film, which itself doubled the opening of the first film from 2014.
The audience, in other words, is growing exponentially for this series about a talented assassin who never seems to get a break. This time, there's a $14 million price tag on his head.
"Avengers: Endgame" slid to second place in its fourth weekend with $29.4 million. Domestically, where the film has grossed $711 million, it's now second only to "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" ($937 million) and globally, with $2.6 billion, it's still second to "Avatar" ($2.8 billion).
In its second weekend, "Pokémon Detective Pikachu" also continued to do well, placing third with $24.8 million. That high-performing trifecta of John Wick, the Avengers and Pikachu didn't leave many moviegoers left to boost the less flashy newcomers "A Dog's Journey" and "The Sun Is Also a Star."
Estimated weekend ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters:
1. "John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum," $57 million
2. "Avengers: Endgame," $29.4 million
3. "Pokémon Detective Pikachu," $24.8 million
4. "A Dog's Journey," $8 million
5. "The Hustle," $6.1 million.
6. "The Intruder," $4 million.
7. "Long Shot," $3.4 million.
8. "The Sun Is Also a Star," $2.6 million.
9. "Poms," $2.1 million.
10. "UglyDolls," $1.6 million.
Associated Press
