How Does John Wick 4’s Budget Compare to the Rest of the Franchise?

John Wick is a prime example of the action genre in the film world and one of the most significant influences the genre has ever had. An exceptional film, it is also a Keanu Reeves show through and through with a character that best suited him. To think that the movie was almost canceled once upon a time!

With John Wick: Chapter Four releasing on March 24, I am super excited. All of you have been anticipating the calendar pages to turn and finally indicate The Day if you are like me.

With action mostly comes a larger-than-you-would-think budget, and it is all worth it when the audience enjoys all the thrills on the movie screens. The John Wick movies have all had enormous and increasing spending since the first one, and the latest of the lot is expected to be the most expensive.

Though the budget of John Wick: Chapter Four has yet to be officially announced, it is estimated to be a minimum of $90 million. This is about four and a half times the budget of the initial movie and two and a half times the sequel. The threequel cost around $75 million.

1. Is John Wick: Chapter 4 the most expensive movie of the franchise? 

John Wick: Chapter 4 is the latest in the John Wick franchise, which showcases an increasing budget with each new movie. More ambitious and thirty minutes longer than the last movie, JW 4 is estimated to have a budget of more than $90 million, making it the most expensive film of the franchise. 

The initial John Wick movie released in 2014 had a significantly smaller budget of $20 million. Being a blockbuster, it spawned a franchise that is going strong even now. With success, each sequential movie of the series has just gotten more action, style, ambition, and destinations. And needless to say, it has seen a tremendous increase in budgets.

With Rome and Casablanca, and top-notch action, avatars, stories, performances, and pace, John Wick: Chapter 2 doubled its budget to $40 million, and Chapter 3 also almost doubled its expenditure from the former at $75 million. By these jumps in the cost of making the movies, Chapter 4 has seen a minimum spend of $90 million on filming.

John Wick: Chapter 4 sees our hero, John Wick (played by Keanu Reeves), in his most stylish avatar yet, and the film is set in Paris, too, along with a variety of other destinations. Remember that John Wick (2014) had only seen New York. To add to the financial requirements, the franchise’s latest movie has a runtime of 170 minutes, 30 more minutes of thrilling action and style than the last film. And let’s keep in mind the increasing pay for the actors recurring in the franchise’s installments.

So, the film’s budget sticking to the $90 million mark seems improbable. We will have to stick around for the official announcement to know John Wick: Chapter 4’s budget. Stay tuned to Cine Dope!

2. How much did John Wick: Chapters 1, 2, and 3 cost?

John Wick (2014), the first movie of the franchise, had a relatively smaller budget of $20 million, but John Wick: Chapter 2 doubled its budget to $40 million, and Chapter 3 also almost doubled its expenditure from the second installment at $75 million. 

3. Will John Wick: Chapter 4 be a box-office success?

John Wick: Chapter 4 has the best-expected box-office opening of the franchise. However, its significantly longer runtime and higher budget could hinder it from becoming a box-office success.

John Wick: Chapter 4 has the highest budget of the franchise at a minimum of a whopping $90 million. The movie’s creators have made no sacrifices in promoting the film, probably doubling the expenditure on the movie. Owing to the ever-increasing popularity of the franchise, it should be a given that the movie will be a box-office hit.

However, a movie must make 2-2.5 times its budget to succeed at the box office. The high cost of JW4, combined with its 30-minute longer runtime that reduces the number of shows possible per day and its R rating restricting the audience, could provide obstacles to its performance at the box office.

If the movie’s budget is only $90 million, it must earn a minimum of $180 million to $225 million to be declared a success. Nonetheless, the long-running franchise is bigger than ever, and so is its fanbase. With a more stylish appearance for John Wick and a more ambitious project, the audience is eagerly awaiting the release of the movie. 

It has the best-projected box office opening and the highest score on Rotten Tomatoes compared to the other movies of the franchise. All the previous JW movies have followed a pattern of earning about twice their expenditure at the box office: John Wick – $80 million, JW2 – $171 million, and JW3 – $327 million. It is only reasonable to expect JW4 to showcase a similar or better performance at the box office.

Let’s wait and watch! Stay tuned to Cine Dope for the latest updates on the John Wick franchise and JW4.

4. About John Wick : Chapter 4

John Wick 4 is an American neo-noir action thriller film and the fourth installment in the John Wick franchise. The franchise is created by Derek Kolstad and stars Keanu Reeves in the role of a retired legendary hitman John Wick.

John Wick must avoid run-ins with The High Table and survive long enough to complete his mission, along with the help of The Bowery King, who was left for dead by The High Table and now is helping John Wick take them down.

John Wick 4 released on March 24, 2023.