Original 'John Wick' Finally Opens in China, Debuting at No. 3

The 2014 action film “John Wick,” rejected by Chinese regulators in 2015 as too violent, finally reached Chinese theaters on October 30, opening at No. 3 with $2.3 million over three days. China Film Group handled the release, which brings the film's worldwide box office to $86.1 million.

The opening marks a reversal from the earlier rejection, though the source gives no longer-term China performance beyond the three-day debut. For a film that launched one of the decade's most successful action franchises, the Chinese release is more symbolic than financial.

“John Wick” was a modest hit on its original release, earning $43 million in the United States before sequels turned it into a global franchise grossing more than $1 billion combined. Its stylized gun-fu action and underworld mythology have since become genre touchstones.

China's film market, the world's second largest, has tightened and loosened its import rules over the years, and older titles occasionally receive belated releases. The “John Wick” debut suggests regulators are now willing to admit a film they once deemed too violent.

Whether the release leads to wider franchise access in China remains to be seen. For now, Chinese audiences are getting their first theatrical look at the film that started it all — eleven years after it was first turned away.