'John Wick 3' knocks down 'Avengers: Endgame' with $57 million debut

LOS ANGELES: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes put up a good fight, but ‘John Wick’ put at end to the three-week box office reign of “Avengers: Endgame.”

Propelled by positive reviews, ‘John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum’ beat expectations with a debut of $57 million from 3,850 North American locations. That was enough to nab the box office crown from ‘Avengers: Endgame’, Marvel’s latest juggernaut that collected $29.4 million during its fourth weekend of release.

‘Parabellum’, the third installment of the action franchise, opened well above its predecessors 2014’s ‘John Wick’ ($14.4 million) and 2017’s ‘John Wick: Chapter 2’ ($30.4 million). In Parabellum, Keanu Reeves returns as the titular ex-hitman who finds himself on the run from assassins. Stuntman-turned-director Chad Stahelski helmed the movie, written by series-creator Derek Kolstad. Halle Berry and Laurence Fisburne also star.

‘John Wick 3’ was a much-needed win for Lionsgate. The studio suffered a string of flops with its big-budget reboot of “Robin Hood” with Taron Egerton, a ‘Hellboy’ remake, and Liam Neeson thriller ‘Cold Pursuit’.

‘Avengers: Endgame’ which slid to second place on domestic box office charts, has now earned $771 million in North America, passing ‘Avatar’ and its $761 million haul to become the second-highest grossing movie at the domestic box office behind ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ ($937 million). It’s still the No. 2 biggest title worldwide, following just ‘Avatar’ with $2.78 billion.

‘John Wick 3’ opened alongside Universal and Amblin’s ‘A Dog’s Journey’ and Warner Bros. and MGM’s ‘The Sun Is Also a Star’.

‘A Dog’s Journey’ arrived below expectations, launching at No. 4 with $8 million from 3,200 venues. It’s pacing significantly below 2017’s “A Dog’s Purpose,” the original film in the saga about a canine’s adventure to find meaning. That movie debuted with $18 million and went on to earn $64 million at the domestic box office. It became a big hit with international audiences, grossing $140 million overseas.