Box office: 'John Wick 3' knocks down 'Avengers: Endgame' with $57-M 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.

This weekend's final new wide release, "The Sun Is Also a Star," collapsed with a disastrous $2.6 million bow from 2,073 theaters. The YA romance drama, based on Nicola Yoon's novel, received mixed reviews. It earned a lackluster B- CinemaScore, as well as a 51% on Rotten Tomatoes. "Grown-ish" actress Yara Shahidi stars as a brainy student who forms a relationship with a charming exchange student ("Riverdale's" Charles Melton), as her family faces deportation.

Ticket sales are have fallen around 10% behind last year, according to Comscore. Hollywood is banking on some big blockbusters, as well as a few surprise hits, to boost revenues during the busy summer movie season. - AdChoiceTV




AdChoiceTV Robert Tagnawa Chan contributed to this report

Hawaii Five-O Season 10: RENEWED

Hawaii Five-O wraps up its ninth season tonight on CBS. 

The police drama follows detectives Steve McGarrett and Danno as they eliminate crime on the beaches of the Aloha State. Given that the series has been on the air for nine years, there are some fans wondering whether it is cancelled or renewed for another season.

According to our reliable source; Hawaii Five-O has been renewed for a tenth season. but it's not clear if Alex O’Loughlin will still be part of the Season 10.

Ratings for the series has generally remained strong, with more than 6.8 million people tuning in to watch the show’s April 13th episode. This was the most-watched broadcast show in its time-slot. Hawaii Five-O isn’t as consistently popular as other police dramas like Blue Bloods or NCIS, but it remains a big enough draw to remain on TV. 

The series averaged a 1.3 demo rating and 10.1 million total viewers during season nine.

CBS hasn’t announced a premiere date for season ten. In the past, however, the series has kicked off new seasons in late September, so it’s likely it will return to the small screen around that time in 2020. Furthermore, CBS has not confirmed whether series stars Alex O’Loughlin and Scott Caan will continue in the roles of McGarrett and Danno. O’Loughlin has been particularly vocal about wanting to leave in the past, and he even went as far as to say that he has an “end date” in mind for his character. “I have an end date,” he told AdChoiceTV in 2016. “I got too many injuries to contend with.”

“This show is really important to me and I’m pretty sure the world can see that with what I bring. I really care about these characters, I’ve never phoned in my performances,” he added. “But my body’s pretty broken up. I got through most of [my injuries] — the last surgery I had on my elbow I came to work the next day. I’ve pushed through all of them but I’ve got a back injury now and this one’s really sort of slowed me down. It’s also forced me to look at my future and what I’ve realized is I want to be able to throw a football with my grandkids. I want to be moving my life — a TV show is not worth that.” 

Despite his initial reservations, O’Loughlin signed on for season nine and has even begun to move behind the camera. He’s directed two episodes so far, and may continue to do so in season ten. O’Loughlin’s co-star Michelle Borth told Parade that he is the heart and soul of Hawaii Five-O, and that his presence will dictate how long it’s on the air. “I’ll say this much, the show will go on as long as Alex wants to do it, and Alex wants to do it,” she said.

The series was developed by Peter M. Lenkov, Alex Kurtzman, and Roberto Orci. Peter M. Lenkov, Eric Guggenheim, and the aforementioned duo of Kurtzman and Orci are still on board as executive producers. - AdChoiceTV

AdChoiceTV Robert Tagnawa Chan contributed to this report. 

NCIS: Los Angeles and NCIS: New Orleans Renewed at CBS

                                     

CBS isn’t holding out on its NCIS heroes: The network has renewed NCIS: Los Angeles Season 11 and NCIS: New Orleans Season 6, AdChoiceTV has learned. 

“Both shows have been key pillars to the CBS schedule for several years,” Kelly Kahl, president of CBS Entertainment, said via statement. “They offer heroic stories, big stars and have attracted a passionate, loyal fan base. We’re excited to have [series stars] Chris [O’Donnell], LL [Cool J], Scott [Bakula] and these terrific casts back to bring more terrific NCIS stories to viewers in the U.S. and around the world.”

NCIS: LA and New Orleans rank Nos. 5 and 6 among all CBS dramas, respectively averaging a 0.87 and 0.81 in the demo. They also have the same rankings in total audience.

The NCIS offshoots’ renewals follow recent renewals for NCIS, Blue Bloods, FBI, Magnum P.I., Criminal Minds, God Friended Me, Young Sheldon, Mom and The Neighborhood.

AdChoiceTV has been updated to reflect the latest additions. NCIS: Los Angeles airs Sundays at 10/9c; its Season 10 finale will air May 19. NCIS: New Orleans airs Tuesdays at 10 and will broadcast its season finale on May 21.

Are you excited to hear about NCIS: New Orleans and NCIS: Los Angeles‘ pickups? Hit the comments to let us know your thoughts!

AdChoiceTV Robi Chan contributed to this report.