Box-Office: ‘Ballerina’ Has 65% Drop — $9M Second Weekend

Things aren’t looking great for “Ballerina,” the John Wick spinoff that was supposed to extend the franchise’s hot streak.

Instead, the film took a sharp 65% tumble in its second weekend, pulling in just $9M —a steep drop that further proves there are limits to milking IP content. Despite good audience scores, moviegoers seem reluctant to buy a ticket to see it.

Don’t get me wrong, “Ballerina” isn’t without its moments. As I mentioned in my review a couple of weeks back, the final hour does manage to pick up the pace and deliver some solid action, but while the back half redeems things slightly, it’s still hard to shake the feeling that the film never fully earns its place.

It’s not a bad movie, but it’s also not one that makes a compelling case for why it needed to exist—which might explain why audiences seem to be staying away. Keanu drives the franchise, not Ana de Armas.

The lacklustre numbers suggest Lionsgate could be headed for yet another headache. The studio has been having a rough go of it lately, and “Ballerina” doesn’t appear to be reversing that trend. With a domestic haul of $42M, the film is underwhelming when compared to its hefty $90M production budget.

Unless overseas markets show surprising strength in the coming weeks, “Ballerina” is unlikely to turn a profit theatrically. Current projections have its domestic total landing somewhere around $60M’ making it the weakest-performing film in the franchise since the original “John Wick,” which cost less than half as much to make.

For a franchise that once redefined action cinema on a modest budget, Ballerina could mark a turning point—and not in the direction Lionsgate had hoped.