The John Wick universe has always been a high-adrenaline thrill ride, packed with headshots, fast-paced action, and a stylish underworld that fans can’t seem to get enough of. From the moment Keanu Reeves suited up in 2014 and stepped back into the assassin life for revenge, the franchise went from being a hit to a global phenomenon.
With four explosive films and over a billion dollars in the bank, the series set a gold standard for modern action movies. So naturally, when Lionsgate decided to take the universe a step further with a spinoff film, all eyes turned to From the World of John Wick: Ballerina, starring Ana de Armas.
The movie dropped this past weekend with hopes of keeping the franchise’s fires burning. But while From the World of John Wick: Ballerina may have packed plenty of punches and elegant action sequences, its opening weekend numbers didn’t exactly pirouette to the top.
From the World of John Wick: Ballerina is yet to make a splash at the box office
It’s always tricky when a beloved franchise branches out into spin-off territory. And while fans were curious to see what a female-led film set in the John Wick universe would look like, Ballerina had a lukewarm debut with $25 million (via Box Office Mojo). The film landed with the second-lowest opening of all five Wick-universe films, managing to top only the original John Wick, which had the advantage of being a total underdog with zero expectations back in 2014. That movie started off modestly with $14.4 million in its first weekend (via Box Office Mojo) and gradually became a word-of-mouth hit.
From the World of John Wick: Ballerina had more going for it. It had a known universe, a high-profile star in Ana de Armas, and tons of buzz, but it still fell short of expectations. The film had been tracking to open in the ballpark of $30 million or so, which seemed like a safe bet given the franchise’s growing fanbase and the solid marketing push. But now that the numbers are in, it looks like it’s underperforming against those projections.
The real twist here is the budget. Ballerina reportedly cost around $90 million to make, making it the second most expensive entry in the series after John Wick: Chapter 4. That kind of price tag means there’s pressure to perform globally. Luckily, Lionsgate often offsets production costs with international presales, so the movie isn’t entirely reliant on box office numbers alone.
Still, if it follows the same global multiplier pattern as the past Wick films, which usually earn about six times their domestic total worldwide, Ballerina might wrap its theatrical run somewhere between $145 million and $165 million. That would officially make it the second-lowest grossing film in the franchise, trailing just behind John Wick: Chapter 2, which ended its run at around $172 million globally (via Box Office Mojo).
It’s a tough spot for Ballerina. As the first spin-off and not a direct continuation of the Keanu-centric storyline, it never had a guaranteed slam dunk. But it’s clear from the numbers that the magic formula of the original series didn’t entirely carry over.
Audiences are loving From the World of John Wick: Ballerina just as much as John Wick 4
But here’s where things get really interesting. While critics and box office experts might be raising eyebrows at the film’s soft opening, audiences seem to have fallen head over heels for it.
According to CinemaScore, which polls moviegoers right after watching a film, From the World of John Wick: Ballerina snagged an A-grade. That’s one of the top scores in the whole Wick franchise. In fact, only John Wick: Chapter 4 did better with a solid A. This puts Ballerina in the same league as Chapter 2 and Parabellum when it comes to fan satisfaction.
It’s kind of ironic. The most expensive, most anticipated spin-off ends up with the lowest debut, but wins hearts in the process. People might have walked in skeptical—this is a spin-off, after all, featuring a new face and only a brief appearance by the OG assassin himself—but came out genuinely impressed. And that’s something money can’t buy.
When you dig into the Rotten Tomatoes scores, the contrast gets even juicier. Critics gave Ballerina a decent but not glowing 75%, making it the lowest-rated film in the franchise from a reviewer’s standpoint. But the audience score? A glowing 93%. That’s not just good—it is actually the same as John Wick 4, which held a 93% audience rating.
It’s not every day that a franchise film does a complete 180-degree turn between critic and audience reception. But here, it’s almost like viewers are embracing Ballerina for what it is—a fresh take on a familiar world, with enough heart and action to stand tall on its own.
What is the movie From the World of John Wick: Ballerina about?
If you’re wondering where Ballerina: From the World of John Wick fits into the Wick universe, it slips right between Chapter 3 and Chapter 4. Yes, Keanu Reeves makes an appearance—but this time, he’s not the main star. The spotlight’s on Ana de Armas as Eve Macarro, a deadly assassin trained by the same Ruska Roma crew that molded John Wick.
Eve isn’t just on a mission because she’s good at taking people down—she has a deeply personal reason. Years ago, her father was killed by a mysterious cult, and now she’s hunting them down one by one. After a lead from Winston (the ever-calculating hotel manager), she tracks one of the cult members, Daniel Pine, to the Continental Hotel in Prague. Pine’s got troubles of his own—he’s trying to keep his daughter safe from being kidnapped by the same cult that targeted Eve as a child.
What follows is a high-octane chase full of brutal confrontations, a signature Wick-style fighting, and a whole lot of grit. As expected from a John Wick story, the stakes are personal, the violence is stylish, and the emotional weight is never far behind the bullets.
Critics might’ve had mixed feelings about the film’s structure or originality, but most agreed that Ana de Armas gave a strong performance. Her portrayal of Eve is raw, powerful, and very complex. She proved that the Wick universe doesn’t need to lean entirely on Keanu’s shoulders to work.
In the end, Ballerina: From the World of John Wick feels like that brave new kid on the block who showed up with a totally new kind of attitude. It didn’t break any records or set the box office on fire, but it managed to add something new and meaningful to the world that fans already love. Even if the numbers didn’t soar, the movie still left many viewers pleasantly surprised—and maybe even a little smitten.
And honestly, that’s a pretty cool legacy to leave behind.
From the World of John Wick: Ballerina is now running in theatres, so if you’re in the mood for stylish action, sleek stunts, and a fresh new face in the Wick universe, now’s your chance to catch it on the big screen.
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