Even though Ballerina star Ana de Armas has been promoting the heck out of her John Wick spin-off, even enlisting future co-star Tom Cruise to help spread the good word, the early box office results for this actioner are underwhelming. Hollywood seemed to think this had a good chance at opening with $35 million (we were more cautious with our predictions). Deadline reports that Ballerina is falling far short of expectations, with only a $25 million (or so) weekend in sight. While it could hit $27 million on the higher end of projections, this has to be seen as another box office bummer for Lionsgate, especially if you consider that John Wick 4 opened with $73 million plus.
What went wrong?
Despite mixed reviews (although we liked it), audiences are digging Ballerina, with it earning an A-minus CinemaScore. Like Karate Kid: Legends, it seems part of the problem is that they opened it during a too competitive season, with Wick movies always faring best in the winter/spring. It’s also worth noting that femme-fronted action flicks are far from a sure thing at the box office, with Furiosa another female-led action spinoff that landed with a thud at the box office. That said, Ballerina had a few things going for it that Furiosa didn’t, including the fact that John Wick star Keanu Reeves has a supporting part in the film where he reprises his character.
In the end, Disney’s box office behemoth Lilo & Stitch will easily win the weekend, with it on track for another $30 million-plus weekend. Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning will be in third place with $14 million or so, while Karate Kid: Legends is down about 56% (not terrible) for a fourth-place finish with about $9 million. Wes Anderson’s The Phoenician Scheme will make about $5.7 million in fifth place. That’s a decent start for an Anderson film, although it’s significantly below the $9 million earned by his last movie, Asteroid City, in its wide release.
We’ll be back tomorrow with a full box office wrap-up!
