Keanu Reeves is going to tear the underworld a new asshole in multiple shoe sizes next month when Summit/Lionsgate releases its newest crowdpleaser, John Wick to the masses, in 2D and IMAX. The film is already the recipient of tons of film festival accolades and fanfare with press galore, and early screenings still taking place.
SANTA MONICA, Calif., Oct. 2, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — IMAX Corporation (NYSE: IMAX; TSX: IMX) and Lionsgate’s (NYSE: LGF) Summit Entertainment label today announced the stylized assassin film John Wick, starring Keanu Reeves, will be digitally re-mastered into the immersive IMAX® format and released in domestic IMAX® theatres starting Oct. 24.
Directed by Chad Stahelski and David Leitch, both of whom worked with Reeves as stunt technicians on all three of The Matrix films, John Wick tells the story of a retired assassin (Reeves) who, after suffering a deadly loss, returns to the fray to hunt down the gangsters who wronged him. The film co-stars Willem Dafoe, Michael Nyqvist, Adrianne Palicki, John Leguizamo, Ian McShane and Bridget Moynahan.
John Wick, which screened last month at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, marks the first IMAX domestic roll-out for Reeves since The Day the Earth Stood Still in 2008 and the second and third Matrix films more than five years prior.
“We are over the moon that John Wick will play in IMAX theatres,” said Lionsgate’s President of Domestic Theatrical Distribution, Richie Fay. “This film is loaded with non-stop action and excitement, but full of heart; it really exploded out of Fantastic Fest and we cannot wait to share it with audiences around the country.”
“John Wick is a fun action romp, complete with a tremendously entertaining performance by Keanu Reeves that is perfect for IMAX fans,” said Phil Groves, Senior Vice President, IMAX Corp and Executive Vice President of Global Distribution, IMAX Entertainment. “There’s no better place for audiences to experience the film’s stylized storytelling than in IMAX theatres.
The IMAX release of John Wick will be digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience® with proprietary IMAX DMR® (Digital Re-mastering) technology. The crystal-clear images, coupled with IMAX’s customized theatre geometry and powerful digital audio, create a unique environment that will make audiences feel as if they are in the movie.
About John Wick
An ex-hitman comes out of retirement to track down the gangsters that took everything from him. With New York City as his bullet riddled playground, John Wick (Reeves) is a fresh and stylized take on the assassin genre.
Leitch and Stahelski also produced the film, along with Basil Iwanyk, Mike Witherill and actress-producer Eva Longoria. John Wick will be released theatrically in North America on Oct. 24.