Runaway 4: The Revenge

Runaway 4: The Revenge (stylized as RUNAW4Y) is a 2019 American action epic. It is the fourth main and sixth installment in the Runaway franchise and is a direct continuation of Runaway 3: The Last Escape (2001), ignoring the events depicted in Runaways (2012) and Runaways: Explore (2015). The film stars James Spader and Andy Garcia returns to his roles, and Sofia Boutella, Jason Statham and Antonio Banderas are introduced as new characters. Runaway 4: The Revenge is directed by McG and written by David S. Goyer, Justin Rhodes and Billy Ray. The film takes place 20 years after the events of Runaway 3: The Last Escape.
Principal photography took place from June to November 2017 in Hungary, Spain and the United States.
Distributed by Universal Pictures in North America and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures in other territories, the film was released in U.S. theaters on April 4, 2019. Runaway 4: The Revenge received mixed reviews from critics, although it was considered an improvement over the 2012 and 2015 films. The film grossed $121 million worldwide against a budget of $50 million and was a box office disappointment. As a result, initial plans for future films were later scrapped in favor of a TV series reboot of The Runaway (2023) and a film adaptation of The Runaway Nemesis (2025).
== Plot ==
Nicholas, despite his 20-year imprisonment, does not lose hope for revenge. In prison, he finds unexpected allies among other prisoners who also have scores to settle with Alexander. They make a deal: Nicholas promises them power and wealth in exchange for help in his escape and plan of revenge.
Alexander, feeling that the threat has not yet passed, goes deeper into his intelligence operations. He discovers that Igor is negotiating with powerful crime lords outside the prison. Alexander decides to create his own network of informants to follow Nicholas's every move.
Igor and his new allies organize a daring escape. They use a complex system of bribery and sabotage to break free. The escape causes turmoil in the country, and Alexander realizes that now the hunt has begun not only for Nicholas, but also for himself.
Alexander uses all his resources to track down Nicholas, who has now teamed up with other dangerous criminals. This ultimately leads to a violent clash between the two sides. Alexander realizes that the only way to protect his family is to put an end to Nicholas once and for all.
The conflict reaches its climax when Igor and his group find Trevor and his family on the island. The island turns into a battlefield where everyone is forced to fight for their lives. During the battle, Trevor and Alexander show extraordinary courage and self-sacrifice.
After a bloody battle on the island, Nicholas is finally defeated and his plans for revenge are ruined. Alexander and Trevor, although they suffered losses, maintain their family and peace on the island. They realize that some shadows of the past will always remain with them, but now they know that they can withstand any threat if they stay together.
== Cast ==
* Andy García as Alexander
* Elias Koteas as Nicholas
* James Spader as Trevor
* Sofia Boutella as Karen 
* Jason Statham as Jonathan
* Antonio Banderas as Steve
* Holly Hunter as Jenny
* Deborah Kara Unger as Catherine
* Rosanna Arquette as Gabrielle
* Peter MacNeill as Colin
* Judah Katz as Jacob
* Nicky Guadagni as Harry
* Don Costello as Franko
== Theatrical ==
Runaway 4: The Revenge was released in the UK on February 3, 2019 and the day after by Universal Pictures in North America and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures in the rest of the world. On February 5, 2019, the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema held surprise screenings of the film in 15 theaters, disguised as screenings of Runaway 3: The Last Escape (2001).
=== Home media ===
Runaway 4: The Revenge was released digitally on May 14, 2019, and was released on home video on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on May 28. Several deleted scenes were included in the home video release.
== Reception ==
=== Box office ===
Runaway 4: The Revenge grossed $52 million in the United States and Canada and $69 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $121 million. With a production budget of $50 million and an additional $20–30 million spent on marketing and distribution, early estimates indicated that the film would have to earn over $110 million worldwide to break even. ​​​​As a result of the losses, sources close to Universal soon reported that there were no plans to continue the franchise after the release.
In Germany, the film was seen by 132,500 viewers, finishing third in that week's charts. The film grossed $12.8 million in Europe and Asia the weekend after its international debut, which is considered the franchise's low start since the 2012 film. The film was projected to gross $90 million worldwide during the first weekend of November 2019. Instead, it only made $72 million. As in the US, the film did not perform well in China, where it made only $23 million, well below the $40–50 million estimate.
=== Critical response ===
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 44% of 351 critic reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.2/10. The website's consensus reads: "Runaway 4: The Revenge is a dull and lackluster retelling of the third film with a modern twist." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, gave the film a score of 45 out of 100 based on 51 critics, indicating "mixed to average" reviews. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on a scale of A+ to F. PostTrak gave it an overall positive score of 71%, with 48% saying they would definitely recommend it.
The Hollywood Reporter wrote that critics generally seem to be "cautiously excited about 'The Revenge,' although there is some uneasiness in the form of repeated recommendations that it is one of the worst films in the series." William Bibbiani of TheWrap wrote that: "Whether 'Runaway 4' is the final chapter in this story or the first in an entirely new franchise doesn't matter at this point."