In a weekend dominated by Disney’s ‘Lilo & Stitch,’ the highly anticipated John Wick spinoff ‘Ballerina’ fell short of expectations. The Disney juggernaut secured its third consecutive week at the top of the box office charts, adding $32.5 million domestically, bringing its North American total to $335.8 million and global earnings to $772.6 million. Meanwhile, ‘Ballerina,’ directed by Len Wiseman and starring Ana de Armas, debuted with $25 million from 3,409 theaters in the U.S. and Canada, significantly lower than initial projections of $35 to $40 million. Despite positive critic reviews and audience exit polls, the film’s performance was underwhelming. Internationally, ‘Ballerina’ earned $26 million from 82 countries, pushing its global opening to $51 million. With a reported production budget of $90 million, much of the cost was offset by foreign pre-sales. As the first spinoff in the John Wick franchise, ‘Ballerina’ recorded the second-lowest opening in the series, surpassing only the original 2014 film, which opened at $14 million. The franchise has collectively grossed over $1 billion worldwide. Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore, noted that ‘Ballerina’ is playing like a true original rather than a typical franchise film, which could benefit its long-term performance. The film may see a stronger second weekend as it competes with family-focused ‘How to Train Your Dragon.’ Elsewhere, ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ slid to third place with $15 million, while ‘Karate Kid: Legends’ and ‘Final Destination: Bloodlines’ rounded out the top five. Wes Anderson’s ‘The Phoenician Scheme’ expanded nationwide, earning $6.3 million, and the anime ‘Dan Da Dan: Evil Eye’ debuted in the top 10 with $3.1 million. Overall, the box office is up 26% compared to the same period in 2024.
‘Lilo & Stitch’ cruises to No. 1 again; John Wick spinoff ‘Ballerina’ dances to 2nd place
