Ballerina is the latest installment in the John Wick franchise – here’s its budget, box office projections, and what it needs to make. Set between the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum and Chapter 4, the spinoff introduces Ana de Armas as Eve Macarro, the тιтular ballerina who begins training in the ᴀssᴀssin traditions of the Ruska Roma and sets out to avenge her father’s death. Ballerina‘s cast also includes Keanu Reeves, Ian McShane, Lance Reddick, and Anjelica Huston reprising their roles, with Gabriel Byrne, Catalina Sandino Moreno, and Norman Reedus debuting as new characters.
Like every film in the John Wick franchise, Ballerina is hoping to be a box office success. Since the first movie began with a relatively modest budget of $20–30 million and box office returns north of $86 million, the franchise has grown exponentially with each installment exceeding the last in terms of its budget and box office, with Chapter 4 making over $447 million against its $100 million price tag. This has led to the development of another sequel, John Chapter: Chapter 5, and also several spinoffs, including Ballerina.
Ballerina’s Budget Is Reportedly Over $80 Million
The Movie Underwent Extensive Reshoots
Per ᴅᴇᴀᴅline, Ballerina‘s budget is reportedly between $80–$90 million after reshoots, which would be the franchise’s second-most expensive film behind John Chapter: Chapter 4. The main reason why the movie was so expensive to produce is likely due to its extensive reshoots. While nearly every franchise film undergoes reshoots to some extent, some more extensive than others, Ballerina reportedly underwent significant reshoots after the initial filming had wrapped in February 2023.
Chad Stahelski, who steered the franchise’s first four films to success, reportedly oversaw two to three months of reshoots, refilming most of the movie originally directed by franchise newcomer Len Wiseman, who was not present during the reshooting process. Reports categorized it as Stahelski coming in to “clean up someone else’s mess,” as the franchise veteran had to reshoot the majority of the movie because Wiseman’s version did not meet expectations, especially regarding the fight scenes in the John Wick movie.
Ballerina’s Opening Weekend Box Office Projections
It’s Projected To Open At $35–40M
According to the latest data available via ᴅᴇᴀᴅline on May 15, Ballerina is projected to make $35–40 million in its opening weekend at the box office, but there’s still potential for that figure to increase before its release. This would place third among all John Wick openings, falling between Chapter 2‘s $30.4 million and Chapter 3 – Parabellum‘s $56.8 million, and closely matching the franchise’s average debut of $43.8 million. Chapter 4 set a new opening weekend record for the franchise, earning $73.8 million.
This projected opening weekend would put Ballerina on the path to success.
At $35–40 million, that range falls somewhat below the opening weekends of similar franchise spinoffs, such as The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes ($44.6 million) and Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore ($42.1 million). However, this projected opening weekend would put Ballerina on the path to success. Generally, a good opening weekend is around 50% of the film’s budget, which in the case of Ballerina, would be in the range of $40–45 million.
Ballerina Needs To Make Over $200 Million To Be A Box Office Success
The Movie Needs To Make 2.5 Times Its Budget
Generally, a movie needs to make two and a half times its budget to break even and start turning a profit, considering additional marketing costs and that theaters keep a portion of the ticket sales. In the case of Ballerina, that would mean it needs to make over $200 million to be a box office success, based on the lower end of the budget range. If the higher end is correct, it would need to make $225 million to become profitable.
Ballerina shouldn’t have much of a problem making over $200 million at the box office since the last two John Wick movies both made over $300 million. Although it’s unlikely that Ballerina will become the franchise’s highest-grossing film, it should honor the John Wick name well. With several familiar faces reprising their roles, including Reeves, and de Armas, a rising star in recent years, leading the cast, the spinoff has all the ingredients for success. Hence, there’s a solid reason to believe Ballerina will be a box office hit.
Ballerina releases in theaters on June 6.
Source: ᴅᴇᴀᴅline
