Summary
- John Wick 5 is driven by financial interests, risking compromising the story for future films.
- Spinoff movies lacked quality and memorable characters, failing to engage audiences.
- Franchise may suffer from lack of Wick involvement, risking overstaying its welcome with forced plots.
There have been many incredible action franchises over the years, and the world of John Wick is certainly one of the best in modern history. The Keanu Reeves-led series of movies proved to be innovative, with beautifully shot fight scenes that delivered unforgettable action to grip audiences.
The world of John Wick is a unique one, with established rules that are entirely different from anything else. With an iconic lead character, the franchise has taken the cinematic world by storm, but the spinoff movies have struggled to enjoy the same success, raising questions about whether there’s sustainability without Wick involved.
The John Wick Movies Need John Wick For An Unexpected Reason
The titular protagonist of this hit action franchise brought more to the table than his combat skills, and his world is struggling without him.
John Wick 5 Isn’t Necessary For Story, But Is For The Franchise
John Wick’s Story Is Being Compromised For Future Movies
The previous four John Wick movies have been fantastic, captivating fans and critics alike, while also performing well at the box office. At the end of John Wick: Chapter 4, people were satisfied with the ending and how his story had been wrapped up, and with a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it was well-received. It also presented a perfect ending to John Wick’s story as audiences saw him bleed out as he collapsed, in a moment that felt fitting for him and his character.
The decision to create John Wick 5 appears to be driven primarily by Lionsgate's financial interests, following the underperformance of the spinoff projects. But also to help keep the franchise alive so that future movies can be created. Whether that’s another John Wick film or a different spinoff idea, this seems to be a franchise Lionsgate doesn’t want to let end, but sadly, that’s going to compromise the story that has been told. Audiences have been able to enjoy four movies with a gripping storyline, where the quality has been evident. However, there is now a risk that a fifth film will be made, where the quality is put aside in a bid to simply get another story out to keep the franchise alive.
John Wick’s Spinoff Movies Haven’t Delivered Quality
There Is A Lack Of Memorable characters For Audiences To cling To
Whenever a franchise is attempted to be built with spinoff movies or television shows, there is a natural risk that it won’t work, simply because the lead character is no longer involved. Unfortunately for the world of John Wick, that is exactly what has happened, as the Wickless content simply hasn’t been entertaining enough. The quality simply hasn’t been high enough, and it has been clear that audiences haven’t cared enough about the spinoffs. While Ballerina received a lot of promotion, it ultimately underperformed, despite John Wick's appearance in the film. Ballerina grossed $132.3 million worldwide, with a $24.5 million opening weekend, as the spinoff struggled to compete with the heights of the main John Wick movies. Meanwhile, The Continental was a three-part prequel series that even the most diehard of John Wick fans have seemingly forgotten about. People simply didn’t care about this series, even though it linked to the movies, as it explored the origins of the Continental Hotel. It had an intriguing premise, but the lack of a positive reaction ultimately led to it being seen as a failure.
One of the main reasons why John Wick is still needed to appear in these movies is due to a lack of truly memorable characters worth investing in. While there are plenty of entertaining supporting characters across the first four movies, these action stories are truly laser-focused on John Wick himself. That’s something that works perfectly for those movies, but has become a problem beyond that, as audiences aren’t reacting to content from this world that doesn’t feature John Wick in the lead role, and that’s going to stop the franchise from expanding.
This Trend Is Problematic For Future John Wick Spinoffs
The Franchise cannot Rely Upon John Wick Forever
The fact that the John Wick spinoffs haven’t performed well is a telling sign that this franchise is going to struggle when Reeves isn’t at the forefront of it, and that’s a problem for Lionsgate. It’s clear that they don’t want to stop creating stores based on the iconic character, which makes sense due to the financial success it can provide. However, that’s eventually going to come at a cost, as there’s only so many times a fully-fledged John Wick movie can be created. Lionsgate risks the franchise overstaying its welcome with audiences, especially if the plots end up feeling forced, which could easily be the case with John Wick 5. The lack of spinoff success proves that John Wick 5 is a necessity if Lionsgate wants to continue down this road, but the current trend doesn’t bode well for other spinoffs that are going to be created down the line. It’s unlikely that John Wick is going to be involved in every single movie, and if the Wickless projects continue to flop, this franchise will end up fizzling out with a whimper.
- Created by
- Derek Kolstad
- Cast
- Keanu Reeves
- TV Show(s)
- The Continental
- Movie(s)
- John Wick, John Wick: Chapter 2, John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, John Wick: Chapter 4