‘John Wick: Chapter 3’ Tops ‘Avengers: Endgame’ With $57 Million Opening

This weekend was a big one at the box office for Lionsgate, as “John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum” gave the studio its biggest opening weekend since the “Hunger Games” series ended back in November 2015. The latest chapter in the story of the vengeful assassin has earned an opening of $57 million from 3,850 screens, nearly double the $30 million opening earned by “John Wick: Chapter 2” in 2017.

At a time when many studios are acquiring recognizable franchises for four-quadrant appeal, “John Wick” was developed entirely in-house at Lionsgate with writer/creator Derek Kolstad and director Chad Stahelski, growing from a cult favorite in 2014 to a potent R-rated summer action title. Critics and audiences have praised the film’s signature fight sequences, giving “Chapter 3” an 88% score on Rotten Tomatoes and an A- on CinemaScore.

As for “Avengers: Endgame,” which saw its time atop the box office charts come to an end this weekend, falling to No. 2 didn’t bring an end to its record-smashing ways. In its fourth weekend, the film earned $29 million domestically to pass “Avatar” for the No. 2 spot on the all-time domestic box office charts.

The James Cameron sci-fi film earned $760 million during its winter 2010 theatrical run, and “Endgame” has now passed that with $771 million. The all-time domestic record belongs to “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” with $936 million.

Globally, “Endgame” now has a box office total of $2.61 billion, with China contributing $624 million while Korea and the U.K. have both passed the $100 million mark. The film is now approximately $170 million away from passing “Avatar” for the all-time global box office record.

Warner Bros./Legendary’s “Detective Pikachu” had a decent hold in its second weekend, earning $24 million for a 56% drop from its $54 million opening. It now has a 10-day total of $93 million.

In fourth is Universal/Amblin’s “A Dog’s Journey,” which is falling below expectations with an $8 million opening from 3,267 screens. That’s less than half the $18 million opening made by the family film’s predecesor, “A Dog’s Purpose,” back in January 2017. Audiences who did see the film were pleased, giving it an A on CinemaScore. Critics were more tepid with a 49% RT score.

Completing the top five is MGM’s “The Hustle,” which fell 53% from its $13 million opening to earn $6 million in its second weekend and a 10-day total of $23.1 million. Outside the top five is Warner Bros.’ “The Sun Is Also A Star,” which opened to a disappointing $2.5 million from 2,073 screens. The romance film earned a B- on CinemaScore and 50% on Rotten Tomatoes.