TheJohn Wickfranchise’s upcoming spinoff could potentially help it recover in a major way after its recent disappointment. The action franchise, which stars Keanu Reeves as the titular hitman, began with four increasingly lucrative installments before launching spinoffs, most recently the Ana de Armas-led featureFrom the World of John Wick: Ballerina.
Ballerina, which debuted in theaters on June 6, takes place between the events ofJohn Wick: Chapter 3andChapter 4andfeatures returning characters including Wick, Winston Scott (Ian McShane), Charon (Lance Reddick), and the Director (Anjelica Huston). The movie is the first in the franchise not to be directed by Chad Stahelski, asUnderworld’s Len Wiseman stepped in.
TheBallerinabox officehas been disappointing. It is not necessarily failing, in spite ofearning just $109.7 million worldwide at the time of writing against its reported $90 million budget. This is because Lionsgate typically covers up to two-thirds of their production costs with foreign pre-sales. Additionally, its VOD release and streaming revenue should add to its commercial prospects.
Why Ballerina Underperformed At The Box Office
There Are Multiple Possible Reasons Why Audiences Didn’t Rush To See It
Just because it is not a money-loser in and of itself, the fact that a franchise tentpole likeBallerinais just barely cresting $100 million makes it somewhat underwhelming. So far,it has also remained the franchise’s second lowest-grossing installmentbehind the original movie. Below, see a breakdown of the performance of all fiveJohn Wickmovies:
$14.4 million
$86 million
$30.4 million
$174.3 million
$56.8 million
$328.3 million
$73.8 million
$440.2 million
$24.5 million
$109.7 million (and counting)
This disappointing reception could be the result ofBallerinabeingthe first theatrical feature not to center on Keanu Reeves' John Wick, even though the character’s return in the movie was heavily advertised. Because the movie takes place before the character dies inChapter 4, it also doesn’t mark his official resurrection in the franchise, so it may have felt inconsequential.
Additionally,the movie arrived after significant release date delaysand the release of the shakily received 2023 Peacock series spinoffThe Continental(at the time of writing, it has the franchise’s lowest Rotten Tomatoes score - 63% - and audience score - 77%), which may have worked in tandem to diminish general interest in the project.
While Stahelski stepped in to oversee reshoots on the movie,Len Wiseman’s participation in the project may have also eroded interest. The director is known for helming the generally poorly regardedUnderworldfranchise, and his most recent movie to earn a Fresh Rotten Tomatoes score beforeBallerinawas 2007’sLive Free or Die Hard, nearly two decades earlier.
Donnie Yen Gives John Wick’s Caine Spinoff A Major Box Office Weapon
The Star Is As Valuable As The Premise
The key to reviving the franchise could beJohn Wick’s upcoming Caine spinoff, which is currently in pre-production. While it does not yet have an official release date, the movie was officially announced in April, withDonnie Yen set to both direct and reprise the role of Caine, the blind assassin who he originally played inJohn Wick: Chapter 4.
The Caine movie is set to bethe first spinoff in the franchise to take place after the events ofJohn Wick: Chapter 4, which could entice audiences to theaters by offering insight into the fallout of the lead character’s death. The project, which follows Caine after leaving the High Table, is scheduled to begin shooting before the end of 2025.
The Caine spinoff will also feature the return of Rina Sawayama as Osaka Continental concierge Akira.
Another reason that the Caine spinoff could thrive is the fact thatDonnie Yen is a major star in China, which is one of the biggest box office markets in the world. A number of his Hong Kong martial arts movies have been popular in Mainland China, including theIp Manfranchise, which so far includes four installments and a spinoff movie.
Although China has been much more selective with which American movies play in regional theaters in recent years, Donnie Yen’s participation both in front of and behind the camera could help the upcomingJohn Wickspinoff overcome that hurdle and become a solid hit in China thanks to his renown,helping it thrive worldwide in a way thatBallerinacouldn’t.
Caine’s Spinoff Working Is Necessary For John Wick’s Future
The First Two Spinoffs Have Been Too Shaky
Caine’s success will be key to the longevity of the franchise, because it needs to prove that the series can thrive without Keanu Reeves' participation. Although the star has clearly shown interest in reprising the role,he will not star in the franchise forever, andupcomingJohn Wickprojectsmust prove that they don’t need him to succeed.
Among other tentative spinoff ideas that are in various conceptual stages, an animatedJohn Wickprequel featuring Reeves returning to voice the character is in pre-production.
So far, no spinoff has been an out-and-out failure.Ballerinais likely to turn some level of profit for Lionsgate andThe Continentalwas not outright rejected. In fact, it was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Stunt Performance. However, its lukewarm critical reception combined withBallerina’s underwhelming box officecould indicate that diminishing returns are imminent.
If the Caine spinoff similarly fails to live up to its potential, the financial risk could ultimately become too great for installments without the lead character. This would potentially mean that theJohn Wickfranchise will die on the vine as soon as Reeves decides he is done playing the iconic character, which is why Yen’s appeal is a huge benefit.
