Movies

Keanu Reeves' Biggest Box Office Hit Wasn't John Wick, But This Unlikely Movie

Keanu Reeves' Biggest Box Office Hit Wasn't John Wick, But This Unlikely Movie
Image credit: Lionsgate

Forget about John and Neo, this cute little character is Reeves' biggest box-office success.

Keanu Reeves is one of the most prominent stars of modern cinema, best known for his roles in two iconic franchises — the Wachowskis' The Matrix and the more recent John Wick thriller series. John Wick: Chapter 4 was released in March of this year, scoring excellent reviews and great box-office figures, and it doesn't look like the actor has any intention of slowing down in years to come.

But even a major actor like Reeves has only one project that has grossed more than a billion dollars, and it's neither of those hit movies mentioned above. To date, his most commercially successful project is… Toy Story 4.

In the fourth installment of the popular animated franchise, Reeves voiced a new character — Canadian motorcyclist and stuntman Duke Caboom, who immediately became a favorite for millions of viewers.

After Toy Story 3 came out in 2010, the franchise seemed to be largely wrapped up, and fans weren't sure if Pixar needed to continue the story any further. However, the creators managed to outdo their previous work, making the next Toy Story the best chapter of the entire film series yet.

The animated story turned out surprisingly fresh and funny, attracting both old fans of the series and new viewers to theaters. Against a budget of 'only' $200 million, Toy Story 4 grossed $434 million in the US and Canada, while the worldwide total was almost $1.1 billion.

In the story, Woody and other toys find a new owner, a little girl named Bonnie. Things go on as usual until the first day of school when the girl makes a new toy literally out of garbage — Forky, who instantly becomes Bonnie's favorite toy.

Keanu Reeves' Biggest Box Office Hit Wasn't John Wick, But This Unlikely Movie - image 1

However, Forky suffers from an existential crisis and one day manages to escape from the group. Woody is worried about how Bonnie will react to that, so he and the other toys set out to find the fugitive. Along the way, the brave cowboy sheriff meets many new and old friends who join him on the exciting adventure.

According to Pixar's description, Keanu Reeves' Duke Caboom was designed as '1970s-era daredevil based on Canada's greatest stuntman.' The actor did a brilliant job adding some vocal mannerisms to his character, which has certainly contributed to the movie's overall success.

Source: USA Today