Keanu Reeves' "John Wick" earned positive reviews from critics as well as $14.15 million box office earnings over the weekend, which included a $870,000 performance during Thursday previews and $5.4 million on opening night, according to Forbes.
The film showcases Reeves as "John Wick," a retired hitman who comes out of hibernation after bad guys kill his beloved dog, which was left behind by his wife before she died. The movie also stars Willem Dafoe, Michael Nyqvist, Bridget Moynahan, John Leguizamo and Ian McShane.
Reeves hasn't had a big hit since "The Matrix", with "47 Ronin" a big flop, earning only $38 million against a production cost of more than $175 million, and "The Day The Earth Stood Still" not even able to earn back the $80 million it cost to make it.
Several film critics also praised Keanu Reeves' latest action movie "John Wick" as one of the best yet. It earned an 86% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with 85% of audiences saying they liked it.
Business Insider's Brett Arnold writes that the film is Reeves' "best movie since 'The Matrix'." and it is "everything you hope an R-rated action flick will be. It's stylish, violent, and has a great sense of humor when Wick isn't too busy shooting people in the head," Arnold writes.
"Keanu Reeves is coming off a pretty bad flop in 47 Ronin - which certainly hurt his leading man credibility - but it looks like his latest release could put him back in blockbuster form," wrote Eric Eisenberg of Cinema Blend.
"Released this past weekend, the new revenge action flick John Wick didn't exactly set any records in its first three days, but it did put on a strong performance compared to some of the other "one man wrecking crew" releases that have come out in 2014," said Eisenberg.
Bob Chipman of The Escapist wrote, "It's essentially a slasher movie turned inside-out, with the good/evil vectors inverted and guns swapped out for blades - most of the time. I've always liked Keanu Reeves and I'm always glad when he turns up in a project like this. You can tell from the outset what it's supposed to "do," the thrill is in watching the pieces all fall and hope the timing is right all the way through -- and John Wick knocks over the dominos with expert efficiency."
Scott Mendelson of Forbes.com called it a "superb action vehicle" and added, "As someone who has long defended Keanu Reeves both as a movie star and as an actor, the relative embrace by the film critic/pundit community felt oddly vindicating."