How Much Keanu Reeves Got Paid For The First Two John Wick Movies

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It is extremely rare for an actor to completely reinvent and revive their career in their 50s, but that's precisely what Keanu Reeves did with the "John Wick" franchise. Over the past decade, Reeves has turned what was almost a direct-to-home-media action flick into one of the most beloved series of action films ever made. With the release of "Ballerina," it's now a full-on cinematic universe to boot. As such, one might imagine Reeves made a great deal of money as the face of the property. But while that eventually became the case, he didn't make as much as one might think right off the bat.

According to a 2016 article by The Hollywood Reporter, the "Speed" star was paid between $2 million and $2.5 million for his work in "John Wick: Chapter 2." As for the first movie? He was paid between $1 and $2 million. That's still a bigger payday than many of us will ever see, but, as the same article points out, it was a major decrease for Reeves, who made $250 million for his work in the "Matrix" trilogy, which was a game-changing box office juggernaut.

The years after the end of the "Matrix" trilogy and before "John Wick" were a bit uneven for Reeves, though, with the actor appearing in some costly disappointments during that stretch, including "The Day the Earth Stood Still" and "47 Ronin." It's also easy to forget that the first "John Wick" was a modest hit, taking in $86 million worldwide against a budget in the $20 million range.

It was a success, but not the global mega hit that we came to expect from the sequels that followed. That's also why Reeves wasn't paid an astronomical sum for the first follow-up either. But a key part of his deal for "Chapter 2" undoubtedly ensured the actor would made a lot more money from the franchise in the years that came after.

THR also pointed out that Reeves got an ownership stake in "John Wick: Chapter 2," meaning he was a profit participant in the film. That's where the real money is made. That's how Robert Downey Jr. took home $80 million between "Avengers: Age of Ultron" and "Captain America: Civil War." Sure, he was paid handsomely up front, but the bulk of his massive Marvel salary came from the backend after those movies became massive hits.

Similarly, Reeves would have benefited greatly after "John Wick: Chapter 2" became a breakout success, making $174 million worldwide or more than double what the first movie made. It's not clear what percentage of the movie Reeves owns, but even a percent or two adds up in a hurry when numbers get that big. To that end, each subsequent entry in the franchise has made more than the one that preceded it.

While Reeves' salary for "John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum" and "John Wick: Chapter 4" haven't been revealed publicly, he undoubtedly got an up front pay bump and continued to be a partial owner of the franchise. Thanks to the success of "Chapter 4," the "John Wick" movies collectively have earned more than $1 billion at the box office. That's to say nothing of streaming, VOD, DVD, and merchandise revenue.

We can't put a dollar figure on it, but it's easy to see that Reeves certainly made a lot more money as the film series rolled on, and rightfully so. As Lionsgate and the financial backers reaped more rewards from the continued success of these movies, so did Reeves. It would be one thing if his salary had never gone up, but these headshot-heavy action pictures have clearly treated Reeves very well.

You can grab the "John Wick: 4 Film Collection" on Blu-ray from Amazon.