It turns out the only thing that can take down the Avengers is a retired hitman with revenge on his mind.
After a three-week, record-breaking reign at the box office, Avengers: Endgame has been unseated by John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum.
The Keanu Reeves three-quel takes the top spot at the box office with an estimated $57 million in ticket sales across 3,850 theaters.
Avengers: Endgame still holds on for second place with an estimated $29.4 million across 4,220 theaters. Another holdover from last week, Pokemon Detective Pikachu rounds out the top three with an estimated $24.8 million across 4,248 theaters.
John Wick racks up an enormous opening weekend that far exceeds expectations, beating both of its predecessors (the first John Wick opened to $14.4 million in 2014, while Chapter Two took in $30.4 million in 2017).
Reeves returns as the titular retired hit man, now with a $14 million price on his head. Devoid of protection from the international assassin’s guild, John Wick fights for his life on the streets of New York as he’s targeted by ruthless killers. Halle Berry and Anjelica Huston join the franchise for the first time, while Lawrence Fishburne and Ian McShane also star.
The film also performed well overseas, taking in $92.2 million in its first week, a franchise high. According to Comscore, 37% of moviegoers said “Actor in the lead role” was their primary reason for seeing the film, which reflects Reeves’ enormous box office power (at least in this particular part).
This is an extremely high percentage for this category. Fittingly, this is Reeves’ second-biggest opening ever, coming in behind 2003’s The Matrix Reloaded $91.8 million haul. The three-quel is likely to continue performing well, given its positive reviews and an A- CinemaScore.
Avengers: Endgame still remains in the top three, with its second place $29.4 million take in its fourth weekend in theaters. Its global total now stands at $2.62 billion, still trailing behind the number one film of all time Avatar and its $2.78 billion haul.
However, the superhero film is now the second-highest grossing film domestically at $771 million, falling behind Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ $937 million and surpassing Avatar’s $761 million.
Amblin Entertainment and Universal’s A Dog’s Journey takes fourth place in its first weekend in theaters with an estimated $8 million in ticket sales across 3,267 theaters.
A sequel to 2017’s A Dog’s Purpose, the film falls far short of its predecessor, which opened to $18.2 million. The family-friendly project resonated with audiences, landing a solid A CinemaScore.
Based on the best-selling series by author W. Bruce Cameron, the movie tells its tale from the dog’s perspective as this devoted pup, voiced by Josh Gad, finds the meaning of his existence through the lives of humans — here, the dog finds himself reincarnated as different canines but keeps coming back to protect and love the humans who mean the most to him. Dennis Quaid returns in a starring role, and he’s supported by Marg Helgenberger, Henry Lau, Betty Gilpin, Kathryn Prescott in this film directed by Gail Mancuso.
Yahoo
