The opening day gross ranks as the second-lowest for the action franchise, falling just below the $10.96 million earned by “John Wick: Chapter 2” back in 2017.
The “John Wick” spin-off won’t be able to topple Disney’s “Lilo & Stitch,” which is heading to a third weekend on top of the charts.
It’s headed to a third frame north of $33 million and should pass a $335 million domestic gross through Sunday.
The Warner Bros. and New Line horror sequel is passing $120 million domestic on Saturday.
Of note further down, Warners’ “Sinners” is still in the top 10, passing $270 million domestic on Friday.
The Ana de Armas-led film “Ballerina,” Lionsgate’s first theatrical attempt to spin off the “John Wick” franchise, made $10.65 million from preview and Friday screenings at 3,409 locations.
With a debut estimated at $25–5 million to $27–5 million instead of the $28 million predicted, the action movie is now lagging slightly behind earlier this week’s projections. Just below the $10.96 million made by “John Wick: Chapter 2” in 2017, the opening day gross is the second-lowest for the action franchise.
As a property reset for the R-rated action franchise, “Ballerina” is anticipated to slow down a bit, with series star Keanu Reeves playing a smaller supporting role this time around. Conversely, it’s a significant decline for “Wick,” which started off as a sleeper hit in 2014 ($43 million in North America) and developed into a blockbuster tentpole by its fourth release ($187 million, the ninth-highest-grossing domestic release of 2023). Additionally, “Ballerina,” which had a modest debut, cost a substantial $90 million to produce, which is not far from the $100 million cost of “Chapter 4.”. It is noteworthy that Lionsgate frequently trades some production costs through overseas pre-sales, reducing its financial risk and lowering the potential profit margin.
Along with “Ballerina,” the studio has been eager to expand the “John Wick” franchise. Reeves will star in the fifth mainline entry, which will also include an animated prequel and a spin-off that will be directed and starring Donnie Yen, who is known for “Chapter 4.”.
“Ballerina,” which was directed by Len Wiseman, has received favorable reviews. It’s even more popular with audiences, as evidenced by CinemaScore’s strong “A-” rating. We’ll find out tomorrow if the positive word-of-mouth can increase the opening.
Disney’s “Lilo and Stitch,” which is about to spend a third weekend at the top of the charts, will undoubtedly surpass the “John Wick” spin-off. On Friday, the live-action remake brought in an additional $9.3 million, which is 45 percent less than its daily total from a week ago. It is expected to surpass a $335 million domestic gross through Sunday and reach a third frame above $33 million. It will break into the top 100 list for North American releases ever on Saturday.
Focus Features has Wes Anderson’s “The Phoenician Scheme” further down the charts. It opened in six locations in New York and Los Angeles last weekend and is now expanding to 1,678 theaters. It made $2.55 million on Friday and is expected to make $5.8 million over the next three days. The adventure feature received positive reviews. Although it falls short of the $9 million earned by the expansion of Anderson and Focus’ previous feature, “Asteroid City,” it is still sufficient to place sixth. With a “B-” grade from CinemaScore, general audiences’ opinions of “Phoenician” are rather divided.
The film “Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning” comes in third place. It still has Imax theaters, but some other high-end large format real estate has been given to “Ballerina.”. After earning $4 million on Friday, the Paramount and Skydance actioner is aiming for $14.08 million for its third frame, which is 45% less than its previous performance. Through Sunday, the domestic gross is expected to reach $149 million. This indicates that this entry is trailing 2018’s “Fallout” ($161 million) but ahead of its franchise predecessor, 2023’s “Dead Reckoning” ($139 million). Making a profit in theaters is still a difficult task for “The Final Reckoning,” given its enormous $400 million production cost. “.”.
“Karate Kid: Legends,” which earned $2.04 million on Friday and is expected to earn $8.7 million for its sophomore release, is currently in fourth place. That would be roughly 57% less than it was on the first weekend. Despite Sony’s investment being relatively modest at $45 million for production, the martial arts legacy sequel is expected to make $35 million domestically in its first 10 days.
“Final Destination: Bloodlines” comes in fifth place with $1.09 million earned on Friday, a decrease of roughly 40% from its daily total one week prior. A Warner Bros. and on Saturday, the domestic sales of the New Line horror sequel surpassed $120 million.
Notably, Warners’ “Sinners” is still in the top 10, having made $270 million domestically on Friday. It will soon overtake “Gravity” ($274 million) as the highest-grossing original movie in North America over the previous 15 years. For the R-rated vampire thriller directed by Ryan Coogler, that is a significant accomplishment.
The shark thriller “Dangerous Animals,” which is also debuting this weekend, is available in 1,636 theaters under the IFC’s horror-focused banner Shudder. The movie made roughly $760,000 on Friday and in the previews, but it is unlikely to make it into the top 10.
