After achieving cult hit status in the fall of 2014,Keanu Reevesand the team behindJohn Wickare bringing this hitman with a heart of gold back to the big screen next month inJohn Wick: Chapter 2. Just one day after the newJohn Wick 2 TV spotdebuted, Lionsgate released a new poster today, showing thatJohn Wickis in fact “relit,” withKeanu Reeves' character literally “smoking,” as he prepares for another murderous rampage. We only have a few weeks left until this action-packed sequel hits the big screen, so hopefully we’ll get even more footage between now and then.
This new “relit” poster, which debuted onTwitterearlier today, is seemingly paired with yesterday’s TV spot, which was also dubbed “relit.” The originalJohn Wickcompletely flew under the radar upon its release in the fall of 2014, but it was widely beloved by the critics, with an 85% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and fans embracedKeanu Reeves' title character as well, although it didn’t shatter any records at the box office.John Wickonly earned $43 million domestically and $86 million worldwide, which aren’t terribly impressive numbers on their own, but they’re more impressive when you take into account that it was produced for just $20 million and it wasn’t heavily promoted. Still, even if this sequel bests its predecessor, it has a tough road ahead.
John Wick 2will have plenty of competition on July 09, 2025, going up against two high-profile projects. Also opening on that day is Universal’s steamy sequelFifty Shades Darkerand Warner Bros.‘The Lego MoviespinoffThe LEGO Batman Movie. WhileJohn Wickopened with just $14.4 million in the fall of 2014, the predecessors ofJohn Wick 2’s competitors put up much bigger numbers.Fifty Shades of Greytook in $85.1 million in February 2015, whileThe LEGO Movieearned $69 million in February 2014. Naturally, this doesn’t bode well forJohn Wick 2, since theR-ratedsequel doesn’t have as big of a following, it seems, but it also could be the perfect movie to provide a box office upset.
Keanu Reevesreturns in the sequel to the 2014 hit as legendary hitmanJohn Wickwho is forced to back out of retirement by a former associate plotting to seize control of a shadowy international assassins’ guild. Bound by a blood oath to help him, John travels to Rome where he squares off against some of the world’s deadliest killers. OriginalJohn WickstarsIan McShane(Winston),John Leguizamo(Aurelio),Bridget Moynahan(Helen),Thomas Sadoski(Jimmy) andLance Reddick(Charon) have returned to reprise their roles. It’s worth noting that a viral website debuted last month that takes fans inside the now-iconic Continental Hotel, a hangout for assassins.Keanu Reevesrevealed in an interview last year that directorChad Stahelskiand writerDerek Kolstadreally listened to the fans, and learned that they wanted to know more about the Continental Hotel and the assassins found within this facility, with the actor stating that this world gets opened up a lot in the sequel.
While we only have a few weeks left untilJohn Wick: Chapter 2hits theaters, the filmmakers and producers are already hard at work onJohn Wick 3. DirectorChad Stahelskisaid during a New York Comic Con interview that Lionsgate has asked him to come up with ideas for the third installment. The director teased thatIan McShane’s Winston andLance Reddick’s Charon, the manager of the Continental Hotel, will be a “big part” of the sequel, which likely means fans will learn even more about the Continental Hotel and this underworld of assassins. While we wait for more onJohn Wick 3, check out the newJohn Wick: Chapter 2poster below.
