In a business that lives and dies by sequels, perhaps the best news about the terrific opening weekend for “John Wick: Chapter 4” (Lionsgate) is that for the third time in four weeks, a sequel opened to a gross better than the previous installment.

“Wick 4” opened to $73.5 million, substantially ahead of strong earlier starts for “Creed 3” (MGM) and “Scream 6” (Paramount). That is by far the best initial take in the “Wick” series. And it’s a welcome return to form for Lionsgate, which in past years thrived with huge franchises like “Twilight” and “The Hunger Games.”

This is their biggest film since the final “Hunger Games” in 2015. This company was a vital addition to theater revenues pre-Covid. But since “Knives Out” in 2019, their biggest gross before this was “The Jesus Revolution” with $49 million (and still in release).

Apart from its record-high debut, “Wick 4” also had its best Cinemascore...