In the latest box-office battle featuring a lethal assassin and a perplexed animated alien, “Lilo & Stitch” continues to triumph. Disney’s hit has maintained its lead for a third consecutive weekend, while the spin-off “Ballerina” from the John Wick franchise did not meet expectations.
As per studio estimates from Sunday, “John Wick: From the Ballerina World” pulled in $25 million from 3,409 theaters across the US and Canada. A few weeks prior, projections were for openings around $35-40 million, but those numbers were adjusted multiple times. Ultimately, the results fell short of what many anticipated. Directed by Len Wiseman, the film revolves around secondary characters from Keanu Reeves’ John Wick series, with Ana de Armas in a central role. The events take place during the storyline of John Wick 3.
The box office results raise some eyebrows since “Ballerina” has received strong reviews from critics and encouraging audience feedback. Traditionally, one would think that positive word of mouth might have given it a boost over the weekend. However, these days, a weekend opening is just the beginning, not the end. It’s possible “Ballerina” could perform well in the longer term.
This Lionsgate release, produced by Thunder Road Films and 87Eleven Entertainment, had a hefty production budget that is reported to be around $90 million. Fortunately for the studio, much of that has already been balanced out by international pre-sales. Worldwide, the film has earned $26 million from 82 countries, bringing its global debut to $51 million.
As the first spin-off, this installment recorded the second-lowest opening in the franchise’s five-film history, only surpassing the initial film from 2014, which debuted with a little over $14 million at that time, not adjusting for inflation. Overall, the franchise has amassed over $1 billion globally.
Taking the top spot was “Lilo & Stitch,” raking in an additional $32.5 million in North America, increasing its domestic total to $335.8 million, with a worldwide count of $772.6 million. It has outperformed the live-action adaptation of “The Little Mermaid,” which reached $298 million in just 17 days.
“Mission: Impossible – Final Calculation” dropped to third place with $15 million, contributing to a global total of $450 million. “Karate Kid: Legends” came in fourth with $8.7 million, while “Final Destination: Bloodline” rounded out the top five with $6.5 million.
The new Wes Anderson film, “The Phoenician Scheme,” has expanded its reach to 1,678 theaters nationwide. Starring Benicio Del Toro, it claimed sixth place with an estimated $6.3 million.
