Back in 2014, when the Keanu Reeves-starring action flick John Wick hit theaters, the first thought on everyone’s minds was: “who asked for this?”
While Keanu is an action icon in his own right thanks to his starring role in The Matrix trilogy, following the release of The Matrix Revolutions in 2003, his career took somewhat of a downturn for the next decade.
Don’t believe me? Here’s everything Reeves starred in between The Matrix Revolutions and John Wick, you let me know how many of these you’ve seen:
- Something’s Gotta Give
- Constantine
- Thumbsucker
- Ellie Parker
- The Laker House
- A Scanner Darkly
- Street Kings
- The Day the Earth Stood Still
- The Private Lives of Pippa Lee
- Henry’s Crime
- Generation Um…
- Man of Tai Chi
- 47 Ronin
So, needless to say, when John Wick was first released in theaters on Friday, October 24, 2014, theaters across America were not necessarily sold out.
But, then a funny thing happened that’s rare in today’s movie industry: not only did John Wick begin picking up serious momentum amongst action film fans, but it was also receiving rave reviews from critics — a rarity in the action genre (not under the Marvel Studios banner).
Naturally, due to the combination of positive word-of-mouth and glowing reviews, more and more fans began flocking to the theaters to ultimately discover that John Wick was one of the most unique and thrilling action movies in some time.
Now, three movies and nearly $300 million at the box office later, John Wick has become one of the preeminent action franchises currently running today.
So, in honor and celebration of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum finally being released in theaters this week, take a trip down memory lane and relive all of the legendary assassin’s 204 kills thus far.
John Wick – 76 Kills
John Wick: Chapter 2 – 128 Kills
John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum will be released in American movie theaters on Friday, May 17, 2019.