Giant Freakin Robot has posted Douglas Helms article, “John Wick Spinoff Test Screening Called Franchise Killer“.
Sources indicate that test screenings for the film were “catastrophic” and could be a “franchise killer.” The main complaints about the screening were reportedly poor direction and tonal inconsistencies, so there might have to be some fixing before the film’s current June 6, 2025 release date.
It’s not clear when this test screening happened and which version of the film was shown, the original that was deemed to need more scenes and the action sequences beefed up or the updated version that includes the reshoots. We know that the reshoots have occurred and are completed from a recent interview by Norman Reedus.
Based on Ian McShanes comments in one of his earlier interviews that the reshoots were needed to “protect the franchise”, one would hope this test screening happened some time ago and was of the original version. I find it hard to imagine that after Stahelski’s intervention that there would still be tonal inconsistencies and the direction would have improved.
We’ll have to wait and see how this shakes out. If the test screening was of the original version, then hopefully Stahelski was able to address the issues and salvage it. If the screening was of the updated version and it is the stinker the test audience claimed it was, then we may never see it or it may go directly to DVD.