Lionsgate may have tried to choreograph the conversation around Ballerina, its female-led John Wick spinoff, but the box office didn’t follow the studio’s lead.
After weeks of promotional build-up and early embargo controversy, the first John Wick spin-off has stumbled out of the gate with a disappointing $25 million domestic opening. That figure places Ballerina second at the box office for the week and marks the lowest debut in the Wick universe since the original film’s modest launch back in 2014.
Keanu Reeves as John Wick and Donnie Yen as Caine in John Wick 4. Photo Credit: Murray Close
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And here’s the real kicker: female audiences didn’t show up…again.
Despite Ballerina starring Ana de Armas in a role specifically designed to expand the John Wick world with a female lead, audience tracking from PostTrak shows that 63% of opening weekend moviegoers were male. This mirrors a recurring trend for action-heavy franchises that try to pivot toward female-centric storytelling without truly connecting with the female audience.
(L-R): Iman Vellani as Ms. Marvel/Kamala Khan, Brie Larson as Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers, and Teyonah Parris as Captain Monica Rambeau in Marvel Studios’ THE MARVELS. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2023 MARVEL.
The Marvels was a recent high-profile example. Marketed as a big moment for women in the MCU, that film also skewed male in audience composition—even more so than some male-led superhero films. The promised demo simply didn’t respond, and now Ballerina appears to be facing a similar reality.
That’s not to say women don’t go to the movies. They absolutely do—when the content resonates. Barbie proved that beyond a shadow of a doubt, grossing over $1 billion worldwide and becoming a pop culture phenomenon. That film didn’t just feature a female lead—it spoke directly to its audience through an IP designed for them.
A scene from Ballerina – YouTube, Lionsgate Movies
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With Ballerina, Lionsgate hoped to capitalize on the goodwill and brand equity of the John Wick franchise, which has seen its box office grow with each installment. But this spin-off opened far below projections. Initial tracking had the film opening north of $35 million. That expectation was later adjusted down to $30 million heading into release weekend. Even then, Ballerina underperformed.
The original John Wick opened as a brand new untested IP to $14.4 million in 2014, followed by Chapter 2 with $30.4 million in 2017. Chapter 3 – Parabellum soared to $56.8 million in 2019, and Chapter 4 reached a franchise-best $73.8 million opening in 2023. While Ballerina technically outperformed the first film, it’s a significant step down from the franchise’s upward trajectory, especially given initial projections.
Keanu Reeves (“John Wick”) stars in Summit Entertainment’s, a LIONSGATE company, John Wick
Critically, the film fared well with viewers. It earned an A- CinemaScore and boasts a 94% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, indicating those who did show up mostly enjoyed it. And thanks to foreign sales, Lionsgate reportedly covered a sizable chunk of the film’s $90 million production budget. But soft domestic turnout still represents a problem for a studio that had been positioning the Wick universe as a long-term franchise play.
The reality is that Ballerina entered a crowded market already jammed with high-profile action films, including Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, which is holding well into its third week. Throw in family fare like Lilo & Stitch, which is also maintaining a strong presence and took the number one spot again this week, and Ballerina may have simply been caught in the crossfire.
But genre competition alone doesn’t explain the gender disparity.
A scene from Ballerina – YouTube, Lionsgate Movies
Studios continue to chase the elusive goal of a four-quadrant blockbuster while trying to retrofit male-driven franchises into new vehicles for female leads. And once again, the studio seems to have mistaken marketing intent for market demand.
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