The latest installment in one of the biggest action franchises today,From the World of John Wick: Ballerina, debuted in theaters last weekend, drumming up a disappointing box office opening for the latest spinoff. The new filmmakes the Baba Yaga scary again, and has been met with positive reception from both audiences and critics. However,it only scored a $25 million openingand came in below tracking, which was set at about $35 million. Following the growth of theJohn Wickfranchise, this is not a strong start, although the film is not yet doomed.
Compared to the firstJohn Wick, which opened to $14 million back in 2014, this is not a bad opening. However, the franchise has grown with each installment, withJohn Wick: Chapter 4’s box officeopening to an incredible $73.8 million in 2023. WhileBallerinawas not likely to reach those highs,the film’s budget is reported to be around $90 million,making it more expensive than the first threeJohn Wickfilms. With this considered, the movie will have to go a long way to make a profit for Lionsgate.
6Release Delays Eroded The Audience’s Interest
Lionsgate Has Been Talking About This Movie For Years
The first footage ofBallerinawas shown at CinemaCon in 2024, long before the eventual release in June 2025. This is notable because the film has actually undergone a number of behind-the-scenes changes since.Initially scheduled for release in June 2024, Lionsgate delayed the filmin early 2024 in order to rework some of the action sequences. They brought inJohn Wickdirector Chad Stahelski to do this, and the final result shows it was likely for the better, but perhaps not for audience perception.
In the public eye,reshoots and delays are not a good sign for the quality of a film.The situation is, of course, more complicated than this, as reshoots are designed to improve upon the film that exists, not necessarily to fundamentally change it. Thereshoots inBallerinaare obviousand show how important they were to the makeup of the story. However, these delays and changes suggest to many casual viewers that the eventual product is not one worth seeing in theaters.
In addition, marketing releasing too early can dampen interest in a film over time.Ballerinareceived buzz last summer coming out of CinemaCon, and thefirstBallerinatrailerfrom September 2024 got some people interested in the film. However,that awareness has been present for too long. For something likeBallerina, many assumed the film had already come and gone, which resulted in significantly eroded interest by the time opening weekend came.
5Lionsgate Didn’t Show Faith In The Film
The Review Embargo Was Approached In An Unusual Way
There is also the fact that Lionsgate seemingly did not show enough faith inBallerina. The reshoots mentioned before were heavily reported on, revealing that more of John Wick was going to be added to the story. While this was exciting for fans of the character,it spoke to the studio not having enough confidence in Ana de Armas' Eve being enoughto lead this film. This seemed to undermine the original premise and attempted to make it more in line with the rest of the series.
In addition, the embargo for reviews was strange and very late. According toDeadline, the initial language in the embargo only allowed for“spoiler-free enthusiasm”on social media from May 22, with“critical social sentiment & formal reviews [being] embargoed"all the way until June 4,only two days before the film’s official release. While films don’t have to lift their review embargo early, this suggests that Lionsgate was not confident inBallerina.
Most movies today lift their embargo a week or two before release, allowing audiences to understand the film’s reception, whilethe ones that wind up disappointing usually hold their reviews until as late as possible.This was a strange decision, especially considering that thereviews forBallerinahave actually been quite positive.
For a while, it seemed likespinoffs ofJohn Wickmight come to dominate the action sphere in both movies and TV. There have been a number of possibilities discussed over the years, including spinoffs for characters like Halle Berry’s Sofia. That franchise expansion wasset to begin with the release ofThe Continental, a prequel series that looked at Winston’s backstoryas he rose up in the world of assassins. Unfortunately, the Peacock series was underseen and not liked enough by those who did watch it.
Every Upcoming John Wick Movie Or Spinoff
In development
Sofia Spin-Off
Rumored
As it did not live up to the quality set by theJohn Wickfilms,The Continentalis unlikely to return for season 2, leavinga bad taste in the mouth concerning the expansion of the franchise overall. While audiences have enjoyed theJohn Wickmovies, this does not mean that the franchise deserves an entire cinematic universe akin to what Marvel Studios has done. With the first release causing disappointment, interest in films likeBallerinawas significantly lowered.
3Len Wiseman Has A Shaky Directing History
The Director Has Not Helmed A Film Since 2012
Len Wiseman was brought on board to directBallerina, and it was the first film he’d helmed since 2012’sTotal Recallremake. That film was not well-liked, as has been the case for most of Wiseman’s work, according toRotten Tomatoes.The director only has one film that is fresh on the Tomatometer inLive Free or Die Hard.While many enjoy that project’s PG-13 take on theDie Hardfranchise, Wiseman is better known for hisUnderworldseries, where he directed the first two installments, which scored 31% and 17% respectively with critics.
Wiseman certainly has fans, as theUnderworldseries was big enough to have five films made. However, it is a very niche, dark fantasy series that most casual audiences do not have a great affinity for. This, combined with the failure ofTotal Recall,which grossed $211 million against a budget of $125 million, showed thatWiseman’s track record did not inspire confidence.Even Lionsgate reaffirmed this when they brought inChad Stahelski for reshoots onBallerina, reflecting that they too did not have confidence in the original director.
2Ballerina Faced Tough Competition Within The Action Movie Genre
Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning Continues To Dominate The Action Box Office
Ballerinareleased to a packed box office, where the multiplex was already full of different films that catered to different demographics.Ballerinapromised to be an exciting action film, but it is not the only one currently playing in theaters.Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoninghas had more excitement behind itand, even several weeks into its theatrical run, has still been attracting interest.The Final Reckoning’s third weekend saw the film earn $14.8 million, likely cutting intoBallerina’s potential gross.
Ballerinaalso faced competition from streaming this past weekend, with Hulu’s animatedPredator: Killer of Killersoffering a new, lauded film loaded with incredible action that was available from the comfort of one’s home.
Ballerinalooks fun to most fans of action movies, butThe Final Reckoningstill seems like more of a must-see. Thestunts in theMission: Impossiblemoviesare bigger and are famed for their practical effects, and whileBallerinapromised some great fights and action, the spectacle was not on the same level. For audiences who have not yet seenThe Final Reckoning, if faced with the choice between it andBallerina, there are plenty of reasons to chooseMission: Impossible.
1John Wick Died, And This Flashback Story Didn’t Feel Essential
John Wick: Chapter 4 Seemed Like The End Of The Story
During an interview withThe Hollywood Reporter, Stahelski, shepherd of the largerJohn Wickfranchise, wrote off the possibility of doing a live-action prequel.“Keanu and I are not interested in going backwards,“he said, which is odd, because that is exactly whatBallerinahas done. Rather than following up on the supposed death of John Wick inChapter 4, the new film precedes those events, examining a period that has already been seen. This likely contributed to the disappointing box office, as the story did not seem essential.
$14.4 million
$86 million
$30.4 million
$174.3 million
$56.8 million
$328.3 million
$73.8 million
$440.2 million
$24.5 million
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Audiences have grown to love John Wick and find great interest in this world, butthe story needs to progress. By settingBallerinain theJohn Wicktimelineduring the events ofChapter 3 - Parabellum, the story became ancillary. The beloved characters onscreen have already moved beyond that timeline, and even a charismatic star like de Armas was not enough to justify interest in the new film. Instead of furthering the franchise,Ballerinawas seen as something redundant, resulting in a lower total for the film.
There will be many moreJohn Wickstories for years to come, but the franchise will need to figure out if it can work beyond its title character. While this world, including elements like The High Table, is compelling,Keanu Reeves as the lead has remained the anchor for the stories.His presence inBallerinacertainly made a difference, but perhaps it didn’t allow Eve to make her own impact. Time will tell if the film is able to build greater interest in subsequent weeks.
