JOHN WICK Spinoff BALLERINA Misses the Mark, Lionsgate Reports $94M Loss
Lionsgate just took a big hit at the box office, and John Wick fans might be partly to blame. The studio reported a $94 million quarterly net loss, and a big factor appears to be the underwhelming performance of its latest Wick-universe spinoff, Ballerina.
The Ana de Armas-led action thriller opened on June 6 to solid reviews, but failed to pull in the kind of money the main John Wick films rake in. It’s a shame because I thought Ballerina was a great badass action film!
Set between John Wick: Chapter 3 and Chapter 4, the movie follows Eve Macarro, a dancer-turned-assassin, on a revenge-fueled mission.
Fans got plenty of franchise callbacks, including appearances from Ian McShane, Anjelica Huston, and the late Lance Reddick in his final screen role. Even Keanu Reeves shows up as John Wick, a moment teased heavily in trailers, but his limited screen time wasn’t enough to draw out the usual crowds.
By the end of its run, Ballerina brought in $132 million worldwide against a reported $90 million budget. Not terrible, but when you compare it to John Wick: Chapter 4’s $447.3 million haul, the difference is clear.
Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer addressed the company’s earnings, saying they’re “taking a number of important steps toward returning to solid growth in fiscal 2027,” pointing to a slate of upcoming blockbusters and an expanded TV lineup.
That includes The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, based on the latest prequel novel, and a two-part sequel to The Passion of the Christ.
Where does this leave the John Wick franchise? That’s still up in the air. There had been talk of a Ballerina sequel, but its lukewarm box office may slow those plans. Still, Lionsgate isn’t walking away from the Wick world just yet.
Two more spinoffs are already in development, a prequel series and a side story centered on Donnie Yen’s sword-wielding character, Caine. John Wick: Chapter 5 is also in the works, though director Chad Stahelski recently admitted he’s still figuring out how to follow the climactic events of Chapter 4.
The Ballerina stumble might not be a fatal blow, but it’s a reminder that even in the Wickverse, pulling the trigger on a spinoff doesn’t guarantee a clean hit.