Is Ballerina a Box Office Bomb? The Numbers Are Ugly
What was supposed to be the next hit in the John Wick universe is looking more like a financial dud.
As of July 15, 2025, Ballerina has wrapped up a disappointing box office run — a far cry from the franchise's usual dominance.
Despite decent audience scores, the Ana de Armas-led spinoff never caught fire in theaters. It suffered a brutal 65% drop in its second weekend, managing just $9 million, and the weeks that followed didn't help much.
Here's where the movie stands:
- Domestic box office: $57.8 million
- International box office: $73.7 million
- Worldwide total: $131.6 million
- Production budget: $90 million
- Video release: July 1, 2025 via Lionsgate Home Entertainment
For a $90 million movie, Ballerina's worldwide take isn't catastrophic — but it's far from what Lionsgate wanted, especially for a franchise spinoff. It's the lowest-performing entry in the Wick franchise since the original film — which, notably, cost less than half to produce. And, taking marketing expenses into account, Ballerina is now most certainly a box office bomb.
Fans had mixed reactions, especially online. Some praised the practical stuntwork — flamethrower fights included — and the non-stop action pacing.
One fan even called the 4DX screening "a car crash every 5 minutes," but admitted it was still fun. Others argued it felt like a movie people are just happy to wait for on streaming.
A vocal part of the fanbase also debated whether audiences were burned out on what some dismissively called "girlboss" action films. Ballerina was caught in the crossfire of these complaints, though others insisted Ana de Armas delivered and the film had the spectacle people paid to see.
For some, the real problem was simple: without Keanu Reeves front and center, there wasn't enough pull to make Ballerina feel like an event.
As one fan bluntly put it, "Keanu drives the franchise, not Ana de Armas."
Unless the film finds surprise success on streaming — a pattern we've seen before — it's safe to say Ballerina didn't hit the mark Lionsgate needed. It might not kill the Wick universe, but it certainly exposed the limits of spinning IP gold from every side character.