John Wick 4 just premiered in a surprise viewing to a small group of lucky viewers at SXSW. The hyped-up action thriller starring Keanu Reeves is one of the year's most anticipated films. Everything about the movie is big, its fight scenes, budget, and fanbase. Audiences thought they would have to wait until the end of the month to see it, but the lucky few at SXSW got to sit in on a surprise screening. It’s the perfect way to release a movie you know will be a box-office smash. John Wick 4 just hit us like we killed his dog.

In the John Wick franchise, Keanu Reeves plays a hitman who has been trying to retire but just keeps getting pulled back in. He tried to get out of the business in the first movie but proved he was still the best killer in town as he went on a bloody rampage in 2015’s opening film John Wick. Since then, the secret society of New York assassins has refused to let him go. Whether they’re trying to kill him or trying to use him, Wick can’t seem to get out of the game. A premiere at SXSW is just the right amount of surprise to add to what would have otherwise been a very average release date for John Wick 4.

John Wick 4 Brings Serious Action

Donnie Yen as Caine in John Wick: Chapter 4
Lionsgate

John Wick 4 makes some serious promises. From all the extreme action we saw in the last three films, this one will have to make everything in it even more spectacular. Fans of Keanu Reeves are always hoping for him to show off his kung-fu skills. And big-budget action fans are looking to the studio to deliver some big explosions. The John Wick franchise will hopefully ramp up their self-created mythos as well. With the High Table hard at work to kill our famous hero, perhaps we will finally come to learn the architecture of this criminal world in which John Wick must kill to survive.

Related: Every Keanu Reeves Movie Where He Plays a Character Named John

With many stars of the action world either returning to the series or making their first appearance, this fourth installment in the franchise will be a knock-out. That is to say, Donnie Yen and Hiroyuki Sanada will surely knock some people out in the movie. John Wick 4’s main attraction will be its ample amount of combat and crazy stunts. Though that’s what the people are going to the movie for, it will be impossible for any amount of violence to be excessive. Those who have already seen the film at the SXSW surprise screening certainly have something to say about it.

A Surprise Screening is the Perfect Ad for JW4

John Wick 4 cast of characters with Keanu Reeves in center
Lionsgate

With another three movies already done in this franchise, audiences know what to expect. Huge over-the-top action sequences amaze viewers with special effects and hard-hitting kung fu. So, when it comes out on Mar. 24, viewers will know exactly what they’re going to get. Undoubtedly, despite how expected it may be, John Wick 4 will still leave the crowd gasping in awe as they leave the theater, but herds of people might not run to see it. Now, however, with a small, exclusive screening at a large event, John Wick 4 has a tiny group of highly influential people that have gotten a look at it and can spread a few rumors before the movie’s official release. And that’s all the film needs: for people to be talking about it.

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It's not a marketing technique that’s new to the industry, but it’s aptly used for this particular movie. John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum delivered all the things John Wick: Chapter 2 hinted at. And since the first film, the franchise’s plot has grown from one man getting revenge for his dog to become the story of a rogue assassin who must topple a shadowy world government just to keep himself alive. It’s an incredible escalation. And the style in which it’s done consistently puts butts in seats. Frank Scheck, who reviewed the film for The Hollywood Reporter said:

“The creatives behind the John Wick franchise must lose sleep at night thinking how they can outdo themselves with each new installment. If so, it makes a strong case for insomnia, since John Wick: Chapter 4 outdoes its formidable predecessors in nearly every respect.”

It’s exactly what the studio behind John Wick wants to hear. It inspires excitement for the upcoming sequel and promises fans that “they ain’t seen nothin’ yet,” as it will usurp your expectations for a sequel. In addition, the surprise screening these people saw cultivated a sense of exclusivity and mystique for the rest of us, who now have to wait anxiously for the rest of the month. Simply put, this surprise turned any sour expectations of the film into electric anticipation. John Wick 4 will surely delight fans, and now they can’t wait for it to come out.