Avengers: Endgame Reviews Are In, Here’s What The Critics Are Saying

Avengers: Endgame Reviews Are In, Here’s What The Critics Are Saying

We’re almost there, folks! After more than a decade of set-up and following a year after the devastating conclusion of Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame is only a couple days away from finally being released to the masses. However, some folks were lucky enough to see the movie early, and now, following the social media reactions that poured in last night after the Endgame world premiere, the first reviews for the movie are pouring in, and they’re overwhelmingly positive.

Let’s kick off with CinemaBlend’s own Eric Eisenberg, who awarded Avengers: Endgame a perfect 5 out of 5 stars in his review, noting that his movie is packed with all sorts of surprises, from actors you never expected to show up popping in to plot twists “coming out of left field.” While he felt it would be “reductive” to call Endgame a love letter to Marvel fans, it definitely is a “wonderful gift” for those who’ve been invested in this franchise over the last 11 years, one which audiences “are going to want to experience over and over again.”

Avengers: Endgame is one of the most ambitious, entertaining, emotional, and stunning blockbusters we’ve ever seen, and the best film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe canon thus far.

Next up, we have Germain Lussier from io9, who described Avengers: Endgame as “everything you’ve ever dreamed a Marvel movie could be” and called it a “complete, complex, and satisfying conclusion” to the last decade we’ve spent with these MCU characters. Endgame becomes more complex as it goes along, which can sometimes make the movie feel “overstuffed and overly busy at times,” but the payoffs are well worth it.

After 11 years and 21 movies, Avengers: Endgame is larger than a mere movie. It’s a personal experience. It works as a singular film and ultimately will be judged as such, but on first viewing, it works even better as a cherry on top of a decade of Marvel storytelling—the final piece of a glorious puzzle we’ve all been working to piece together since 2008.

Entertainment Weekly’s Leah Greenblat gave Avengers: Endgame a B+, declaring that the movie promises many things, like revenge, redemption and a ridiculously long runtime, and it “largely delivers” on that. And if you’re a fan of Marvel cameos, then brace yourself, because Endgame is filled to the brim with surprise appearances.

With the stakes being no less than the fate of the world (or at least approximately 50% of it), there’s an expected urgency to it all, but an underlying melancholy, too — not just for everything that’s been lost, but for what won’t be coming back. After seven years, four films, and uncountable post-credit easter eggs, the endgame of an era has finally come.

Over at Birth.Movies.Death., Russ Fischer, who was not “convinced” by Avengers: Infinity War, found Avengers: Endgame to be a more satisfiable MCU offering. The movie has an “unusual structure,” though that’s definitely appropriate for the kind of story being told, and the second act plays out as a “Marvel’s Greatest Hits” before delving into the final battle. In Fischer’s eyes, Endgame doesn’t create a “seismic shift” like Infinity War did, but it does put everything on the table.

Ultimately, Endgame is an entire movie of payoffs. It plays off and completes thoughts begun in Age of Ultron and Civil War, and even in comics. Conventional wisdom says that a sequel should be able to stand on its own. For the past decade, Marvel has worked to make that true, to whatever degree is possible in a series of more than 20 interconnected films. That changes with Endgame, which has no ambition to stand on its own, and no need to. This Avengers finale is an event as much as a movie.

USA Today’s Brian Truitt gave Avengers: Endgame a 3.5 out of 4 score, describing it as the “triple-disc greatest-hits package with the really awesome cover and a slew of familiar, comforting gems inside.” The movie loses some momentum over its three-hour runtime, but it delivers those emotional gut punches we’ve expected and an explosive finale.

Endgame is tragic and uplifting, rousing and grounding, while leaving minds racing and making everybody cry (even the toughest guys). Marvel movies have managed to find endearing, crowd-pleasing magic amid these fun and flawed comic-book characters in the past decade, and Endgame pays off all that goodwill by letting them do what they do best on the biggest stage yet.

Angie Han from Mashable didn’t find Avengers: Endgame to be the best, prettiest or even the funniest Marvel movie ever made, but she did call it the “most Marvel movie” ever made, and that’s a notable accomplishment. There are some “quibbles” to be had at certain moments, but it ultimately serves as a testament to what this franchise has become.

This is Marvel flexing, building on over 10 years and 20-plus films of careful groundwork and intricate planning to show us what it can do that no other movie franchise can. As such, it's an immensely satisfying finish to this era of the series.

Finally, IGN’s Laura Prudom awarded Avengers: Endgame a 9.5 out of 10 score, calling it a movie that “rewards your knowledge of the MCU in its entirety.” There are some parts that might feel like “outright fan service,” but they feel more as though they’re earned after everything we’ve seen over the last 11 years. Like most Marvel movies, there’s an over reliance on “overproduced CGI battles,” but fortunately, the quieter character moments are still able to shine.

A fitting and surprisingly poetic payoff to more than a decade of storytelling, and the start of a bright new chapter.

These are just a handful of the Avengers: Endgame reviews that are now available, so feel free to venture elsewhere on the interwebs to learn what other critics thought of this movie. Be careful about running into spoilers, though, as there are some reviews that delve into minor plot details that some of you might not want to know. Tread cautiously!

You can judge Avengers: Endgame for yourself when it’s released on April 26, but for now, keep up to date with CinemaBlend for more coverage on this blockbuster event, and be sure to look through our Marvel movies guide to learn what else this franchise has coming down the pipeline.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe Just Had Its Star Trek VI Moment

The Marvel Cinematic Universe Just Had Its Star Trek VI Moment

Warning: SPOILERS for Avengers: Endgame are in play. If you haven’t seen the film, come back once you’ve seen the film.

There’s been a lot of talk about Avengers: Endgame in the media as of late, what with the first arc of recorded history ending with the Infinity Saga’s close. For a juggernaut as huge as the Marvel Cinematic Universe, 22 films across 11 years is quite a bit of time for an audience to be invested in a story’s progression. And when I think about it, there’s only one other event that comes close to matching it.

Back in 1991, the original crew of the Star Trek series made their final appearance as a complete group. It was a moment that saw the end of one era,and the dawn of another, dovetailing each other for one brief moment in time. And as Avengers: Endgame honored its original crew’s departure in a very similar way as Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country did, I realized that the Marvel Cinematic Universe had its very own Star Trek VI moment.

What’s a Star Trek VI moment? Allow me to explain.

What Is The Star Trek VI Moment?

At the end of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, we see the original crew of the USS Enterprise-A prepared to sail off for decommissioning. With Captain Kirk’s orders of “Second star to the left, straight on until morning,” Kirk and his fellow Federation members make their way into the history books, retiring the original crew that started the bold journey to where no one has gone before. Ending literally with the signatures of the original Star Trek cast flying off into space, it was a truly emotional moment.

While the Star Trek franchise would continue in the decades past director Nicholas Meyer’s swan song for the original series cast, it was a moment that would stand as a fixed point in the timeline. Every crew, every captain, every ship would be compared to that original lineup and the adventures that they embarked on. With that gold standard in place, as the signatures of the original cast flew into the stars of Star Trek VI’s finale, series history had an official gold standard of what to do and what not to do in future installments.

The voyages of Starfleet would continue, surely enough; but the first storied era of adventures in the Star Trek universe were officially complete. Which paved the way for the likes of Jean-Luc Picard, Benjamin Sisko, Kathryn Janeway and Jonathan Archer to lead with distinction and carve their own legacies into the stars.

How Did Avengers: Endgame Have Its Star Trek VI Moment?

Keeping the definition of a Star Trek VI moment in mind, Avengers: Endgame approached its own version of that very ending with a battle so great, it ensured that the original lineup of Marvel Cinematic Universe heroes would never be able to return to the series. Consequences were set and honored, and the message was clear: this is the end of the MCU as we know it, but not the end of Marvel’s cinematic world by a long shot.

By time Avengers: Endgame said its final goodbyes to the Avengers that either fell in the line of duty or retired, the MCU found itself on the same sort of path that Star Trek before it had. With Phase 4 still officially unannounced and the future unknown, the landmark cinematic franchise is now at a crossroads as to how it should proceed. But as Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country had done in the past, the original six Avengers all saw their autographs commemorated on screen, as if putting their final signature on the characters they helped bring to life.

Just as we saw Captain Kirk soar into series history, Tony Stark, Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff all saw themselves consigned to the past when all was said and done. Avengers: Endgame served not only as the close of an arc 11 years in the making, it also opened the door for whatever came next to have autonomy to find its own voice.

Will We Ever See The Marvel Cinematic Universe Have Another Star Trek VI Moment

While it’s easy to appreciate a Star Trek VI moment, it’s not something that comes easy. Even in the Trek franchise, it only happened once or twice more, with the departure of the Next Generation and Deep Space Nine casts. It’s a fair assessment that to have a Star Trek VI moment, you really need the people to love you a ridiculous amount.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe does have a legion of loyal fans who’ll follow it to the moon and back, and that’s not too much of an exaggeration. But, again, with the future being an unspecified blank outside of Spider-Man: Far From Home, we can’t really tell if there will be a sendoff so huge that it’ll eclipse or even match this point.

That’s not to say that it can’t happen though. Much like Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country gave original series fans their goodbye, it also left them open to really invest in Star Trek: The Next Generation. And on top of that, the next phase of fandom came in, which would eventually mark the TNG cast’s departure as a cultural touchstone of their own. So while it’s unclear when or where it’ll happen, there are probably at least a couple more Star Trek VI moments waiting in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It really just depends on the fans.

The fandom isn’t in the same place it was when the Marvel Cinematic Universe started, so some may change with the times and keep up with the MCU past Avengers: Endgame. Others may call it quits and leave the past where it lies, as they aren’t convinced the future is something they want to see.

But no matter what either of those two factions think, everyone has this one moment in time where the two halves overlapped. Past and present are one, and all got the spectacular battle that Avengers: Endgame used to close off this first arc of history. And that’s still a win on both sides of that particular fence.

Like my Trekker father did back in the day, I’ve now seen a great age of fandom come and gone. And just like he moved into The Next Generation without a hitch, I look forward to the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, while acknowledging all the bright and bountiful moments that came before.

Avengers: Endgame is in theaters now, waiting for history to ultimately judge its efforts. But if you’re more interested in the future of moviegoing, look at 2019’s release schedule for some more immediate fun. And be sure to keep your eyes open for any Marvel Cinematic Universe scheduling that comes to pass, with our Upcoming Marvel Movies guide.

Sarah Connor Utters The Iconic ‘I’ll Be Back Line’ In New Terminator: Dark Fate Video

Sarah Connor Utters The Iconic ‘I’ll Be Back Line’ In New Terminator: Dark Fate Video

As far as sci-fi properties go, there are few quite as beloved as the Terminator franchise. James Cameron brought the titular robot to the big screen back in 1984, and its never been far from theaters in the decades since. But out of the entire series, Terminator 2: Judgement Day remains the undisputed fan favorite. Plus, it's the last movie that Cameron was intimately involved in. That is... until now.

The franchise is coming back to theaters with Terminator: Dark Fate, which will be a direct sequel to T2. James Cameron is involved as a producer, and the new movie will also welcome Linda Hamilton back to her signature character Sarah Connor. The first Dark Fate trailer was super exciting, and a new clip has Sarah Connor uttering the most iconic line from the entire franchise: "I'll be back." Check it out below.

Does anyone else have chills? On top finally uttering the line made by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the original Terminator, Linda Hamilton does so in perhaps the most badass way possible. Namely, by popping a grenade as she did it, and calmly walking away from the impending explosion.

This new clip just hammers down what a total badass Sarah Connor has remained since we saw her in Terminator 2: Judgement Day. Linda Hamilton had a massive transformation between her two appearances, with T2 taking her from victim to deadly mental patient. And she's remained just as capable through the decades, as the first trailer for Dark Fate showed her going toe to toe with Gabriel Luna's new Terminator model.

The Terminator franchise may have never really left theaters, but the various sequels lacked the same tone as the first two. These movies resulted as a combination of James Cameron and his stars Linda Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger. And now that the trio have once again collaborated on Terminator: Dark Fate, and it looks like there will be plenty of references to the start of the franchise. That includes using some iconic lines of dialogue that are synonymous with those movies.

Aside from including lines like "I'll be back", Terminator: Dark Fate will also deeply connect to Terminator 2 through the use of flashbacks. The upcoming sequel will include new scenes of a younger Sarah Connor and her son John-- who is noticeably missing from the film's cast. CGI will be used to de-age Linda Hamilton, while the same type of visual affects will bring Edward Furlong's likeness as John back to the silver screen. It's an exciting concept, especially as movies like Captain Marvel and Rogue One have proven how far that technology has come.

Related: Arnold Schwarzenegger Looks Totally Badass In First Terminator: Dark Fate Image

Given the footage from the above video, it should be interesting to see if more iconic Terminator lines end up making their way to Dark Fate. "Come with me if you want to live" seem like an easy bit of dialogue to fit into such an action-packed sequel. And with the original Terminator and Sarah Connor reuniting, there's also the opportunity for Arnold Schwarzenegger to say "I'm a friend of Sarah Connor." We'll just have to wait and see what Deadpool director Tim Miller has up his sleeve for the generations of Terminator fans.

All will be revealed when Terminator: Dark Fate arrives in theaters on November 1st. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker Has Been Planned Since The Force Awakens

Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker Has Been Planned Since The Force Awakens

The past few years have been great for Star Wars fans, as there's been a ton of new and exciting projects hitting theaters since Disney acquired Lucasfilm. The House of Mouse has produced standalone films and an upcoming live-action series, although fans are most invested in the main franchise. The nine-film narrative will end with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, with J.J. Abrams returning to the director's chair to tie up a variety of stories.

The pressure is on for J.J. Abrams to conclude the story he began with The Force Awakens, as well as the entire franchise up to this point. Adam Driver has starred as the villainous Kylo Ren in the sequel trilogy, and recently revealed that his character's story was planned from back in Episode VII, and has remained consistent through The Rise of Skywalker. As he put it:

An overall arc was very, not vague, the opposite, it was very clear—[there was] an end in sight even from the very beginning. The details obviously hadn’t been worked out, but we had talked about the very thing that we’d been working towards with this last one.

Well, this is a relief. Because while The Last Jedi shocked audience and The Rise of Skywalker was originally set to be directed by Colin Trevorrow, it looks like the overall story hasn't been changed much since The Force Awakens was in production.

Adam Driver's comments to Vanity Fair are sure to excite the hardcore Star Wars fandom, who might be nervous about what J.J. Abrams is bringing to the franchise with The Rise of Skywalker. Rian Johnson purposefully subverted fan expectations with The Last Jedi, and the blockbuster is the most divisive installment in the long running property. His bold choices didn't vibe with some of the hardcore fandom, although now it looks like the current trilogy's core narrative has remained consistent across all three movies.

Related: Knights Of Ren Confirmed For Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker

The Star Wars franchise is beloved by entire generations of fans, so the pressure is on for J.J. Abrams to deliver with The Rise of Skywalker. But since he was the architect of the property's return to theaters, Abrams has a full understanding of the story, and will be able to wrap it up on a way that (hopefully) satisfies the rabid fanbase. Although the contents of Episode IX are still a total mystery at the moment.

There are a ton of balls in the air for the current Star Wars trilogy, so J.J. Abrams' narrative possibilities are seemingly endless. Audiences will follow the final battle for Ben Solo's soul, General Leia's final appearance, as well as the trio of new heroes. The first trailer for The Rise of Skywalker was truly epic, so the wait until Episode IX's will be excruciating for hardcore fans.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will arrive in theaters on December 20th. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Disney Is Bringing Its Entire Vault To Streaming Service Disney+

Disney Is Bringing Its Entire Vault To Streaming Service Disney+

Disney is getting ready to launch it's own streaming service later this year and while the company has been largely tight lipped regarding what we'll actually get when Disney+ launches, beyond a few officially announced original productions, during the annual Disney shareholder meeting today CEO Bob Iger confirmed that every film in the Disney library, including those movies normally locked away in the "Disney vault" will be on Disney+. either at launch or shortly thereafter. According to Iger...

At some point, fairly soon after launch, it [Disney+] will house the entire Disney motion picture library, so the movies that you speak of that have traditionally been kept in a vault and have been brought out basically every few years, will be on the service.

The biggest bullet in the Disney+ gun is that the studio has an impressively big, and impressively popular, collection of movies that have been released over the decades. However, how much of that we were going to see on Disney+ was never made clear.

Back in the days before home video, Disney would routinely re-release its popular animated classics in theaters every few years so that new generations could experience them. The studio was originally apprehensive about the home video business, fearing it would cut in to those regular box office profits. In the end, Disney compromised and started to release its classic films on VHS, but it would pull them off of shelves after a while and put them back in the "Disney vault" for a few years, then bring trhem back. That process has remained largely intact since the 1980s.

This led to the question from a Disney stockholder during The Walt Disney Company’s 2019 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. Did the Disney vault mean that some Disney movies would not be available on the service? The answer is no. It sounds like the vault is being emptied and closed for good.

In addition to those films, everything else produced by Disney will be on the service. We know that Disney has existing deals with Netflix as well as the Starz cable channel. The movies committed to those platforms won't be on Disney+, but it sounds like the plan is to move them over as soon as those commitments are done. Bob Iger also revealed that every Disney movie being released in 2019, From Captain Marvel to Star Wars Episode IX, will be on Disney+ within the first year of the service.

Confirmation that there are no plans to hold anything back from Disney+ is sure to get people excited. If you want to binge watch the entire history of Walt Disney animation, from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to Frozen II, you'll be able to do that within a year of the service starting up, and you'll be able to watch most of those films probably on day one.

More details on Disney+ were not revealed at the meeting today, but a previously announced meeting April 11 will likely give us all the specifics we're waiting for, like a specific release date, subscription cost, and more information on the launch day content.

Shazam! Reviews: What CinemaBlend Thought Of DC's Newest Big Screen Hero

Shazam! Reviews: What CinemaBlend Thought Of DC's Newest Big Screen Hero

DC Comics is home to some of the biggest names in the entire superhero genre. Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman all call DC home. One character that predates most of DC's heroes is Shazam. However, while the character has a long history, he's not necessarily that well known by the average moviegoer. That may be about to change as the new Shazam! movie is finally here, and according to pretty much everybody here at CinemaBlend, it is absolutely worth seeing.

The CinemaBlend review for Shazam! was written by Managing Director Sean O'Connell who gave the film four out of five stars. Sean thought the film did a great job handling the necessary information requited in every superhero origin story, and was quite well cast, especially with Zachary Levi as Shazam. He's already looking forward to sequels.

More Shazam! movies will be welcome, so long as Zachary Levi remains in the suit. He’s the right lead for this blend of action and comedy, and while it doesn’t mean that every DC movie moving forward needs to embrace the lighter tones and smaller scale on display in Shazam!, I’m grateful that Sandberg brought that touch to this delightful material.

Zachary Levi plays Shazam, but he's only half of the main character. Asher Angel plays Billy Batson, the 14-year-old boy who gains the ability to transform into a superhero. The catch, is that grown-up Shazam still has the mind of Billy, so a 14-year-old boy is still the one navigating the world with these new found powers.

It's this premise which gives the movie license to be a bit lighter than your average superhero movie. This is what Marketing Editor Adrienne Jones particularly loved about Shazam! It sets itself apart from pretty much every other superhero movie out there.

Shazam! is exactly what DC (and superhero movies in general) needs right now because it's just pure fun. Zachary Levi throws his whole being into embodying a teen who becomes a superpowered adult, and he's surrounded by other wonderful performers who help make the movie a joy to watch while still being able to touch on some serious themes and, of course, throwing a few surprises our way. Can't wait for the sequel!

That feeling of fun, and love for Zachary Levi's performance, is echoed by Events Editor Eric Eisenberg. While the movie may be a fairly predictable origin story movie, it's one that has so much more going for it that you won't care.

DC is finally building a solid run: Shazam! is a delight! Its familiar origin structure is forgivable because of all the new it brings to the table - primarily it's gleeful, childlike enthusiasm, & heartfelt perspective on family. It's also the role Zachary Levi was born to play.

Staff Writer Mike Reyes largely feels the same way. He calls the movie familiar, but credits director David F. Sandberg with finding ways to make Shazam! feel different by including elements we don't always see in this genre.

Shazam! is a fun addition to the DC Comics canon of films, with a good heart and some well earned menace thrown into the usual superhero origin story. Which is probably why director David F. Sandberg's film most comes alive at the moments where it pivots to either the family drama of Billy Batson and his foster family or the creepy quest for power undertaken by the film's villain, Dr. Silvana. Put those two strong pillars together, and mix in an endearing performance by the ever solid Zachary Levi, and you've got yourself a fun, but very familiar, day at the movies!

Shazam! does a remarkably good job dealing with some of the problems that modern superhero movies tend to have. It gives a decent amount of screen time to the movies villain, Mark Strong as Doctor Silvana. By doing so, it helps develop the character better than the bad guys in most comic book films from DC or Marvel. He's also a fairly chilling character, making him feel more threatening and evil than most.

The movie also doesn't short change the human story. While Shazam the superhero has his battles to fight, Billy Batson the teenage orphan does too. He's dealing with trying to find his family, while also navigating the new foster family he's become part of. There's a lot going on in this movie, and somehow, it's able to juggle everything expertly.

CinemaBlend Editor Adam Holmes is another who loved the movie. However, he also really loved the particular way that this classic comic book hero was finally brought to the big screen.

Shazam! is a delightful DCEU entry that delivers on its promise of blending Big with superhero mythology. It effectively translates Shazam’s New 52 origin story to the big screen while also including elements from the character’s classic eras. The main cast also shines bright, particularly Zachary Levi and Jack Dylan Grazer. It’s about time that Shazam finally got to lead his own full-length theatrical film, and I’m looking forward to seeing more cinematic stories centered around the World’s Mightiest Mortal and his family.

CinemaBlend writer Sarah El-Mahmoud puts it as plainly as it can be done. She loved it. Even up against critical and crowd favorites like Wonder Woman, she thinks Shazam! is as good as DC has done to date.

I was not prepared for how good Shazam is!! Hands down my favorite thing DCEU has done so far.

As for myself, I absolutely adored this movie. It sort of runs the gamut of emotions. You'll laugh, you'll cheer, you might cry or even scream. As a particular fan of Zachery Levi since his days on Chuck, it's great to see him in a high profile role like this, and it's even better to see him knock it out of the park.

Shazam! is everything. It's got great action, great humor, some surprising scares, and real heart. Zachary Levi is the definition of perfect casting. Bring on the sequels.

Sometimes, all you want is a fun movie here a superhero fights a supervillain. Shazam! is absolutely that. It's also a lot more, but it's able to be more without losing the core parts of what makes a modern superhero movie that so many people love. Also, it's probably a lot funnier than Avengers: Endgame is going to be in a couple weeks.

What the future holds for Shazam in the DC Universe is anybody's guess. The movie's success at the box office this weekend, and in the long term, will certainly go a long way to determining that. But, if we do get sequels, you can bet that the CinemaBlend team will be looking forward to them. Considering that the movie is already doing better than expected at the box office, we're probably not the only ones.

Shazam! is in theaters now.

How Much John Wick 3 Could Make In Its Opening Weekend

How Much John Wick 3 Could Make In Its Opening Weekend

The "Parabellum" of John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum means "prepare for war." The spring 2019 box office is going to be quite a minefield, but I have a feeling Mr. Wick will put up a worthy fight. He's beaten the odds before.

John Wick 3 opens in theaters Friday, May 17, and BoxOfficePro is estimating it will make $30-40 million. That would set it up for the best debut of the franchise, especially if it opens on the higher end of that prediction.

Here are the past two opening weekends for the franchise to date:

John Wick opening weekend: $14,415,922 from 2,589 theaters

John Wick: Chapter 2 opening weekend: $30,436,123 from 3,113 theaters

As you can see, the second film's opening doubled the first film's take. It did have more screens, and hopefully The Powers That Be take the hint and open Chapter 3 on even more screens for even more chances at even more money.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say John Wick 3 will open to $43 million. Chapter 2 ended on a great cliffhanger, with John Wick declared excommunicado. There's a $14 million global contract out on his head. He's on the run with his post-puppy dog. If you caught up on the first two movies, wouldn't you be curious how John Wick gets out of this latest mess? What if he doesn't?

Plus, Chapter 3 adds Halle Berry in a major role, with her own lethal two dogs. Anjelica Huston is also in the mix, among the other new characters. Old favorites like Ian McShane's Continental manager Winston; Laurence Fishburne's Bowery King; and Lance Reddick's Charon will also be back.

Director Chad Stahelski -- who met Keanu Reeves as his stunt double for The Matrix, which is just a fun fact on that movie's 20th anniversary -- has said John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum is 20% more movie than Chapter 2. It has more characters, and more action by at least three sequences. So the body count is substantially higher. John Wick and John Wick: Chapter 2 were more two-act stories, he added, and in Parabellum there are two storylines going on, so it's more of a three-act film.

There seems to be a lot of interest in this movie, so I'm sticking with my $43 million domestic opening guess, and I'll go ahead and lock in a high total worldwide gross guess of $210 million. It's not even clear how many countries will be getting John Wick 3, and when, but the trend is upward so I'm sticking with it.

Here are the total grosses for the previous two films, per Box Office Mojo:

John Wick

Domestic: $43,037,835

Foreign: $45,723,826

Worldwide total: $88,761,661

John Wick: Chapter 2

Domestic: $92,029,184

Foreign: $79,510,703

Worldwide total: $171,539,887

It's kind of surprising these films don't make more money in theaters, but they do seem to -- ahem -- make a killing with fans in repeat viewings at home. Just through sheer buzz, there seems to be a lot of interest in Parabellum, so I'm pretty confident it will have the best opening of the franchise.

That said, there's a lot of competition out there. May 10 has Ryan Reynolds' Pokemon: Detective Pikachu, with Aladdin and BrightBurn following John Wick 3 on May 24. The month is ending with Godzilla: King of the Monsters. There's not going to be a lot of time to make money, at least in the domestic opening.

Follow every opening with our 2019 movie release date schedule, and post your own John Wick 3 opening prediction below. Do you plan to see the movie when it first opens May 17-19, or wait a bit? Does it depend on reviews, or you wouldn't care?