The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movies are not in the heyday they were in during the 2010s, and their recent movies prove that. This is not to say that they have been entirely unsuccessful. Rather, MCU films, both at the box office and in terms of critical reception, are incredibly inconsistent.

This year, MCU kicked off with Captain America: Brave New World. While the film is the no. 6 movie of the year at the worldwide box office, its $415 million gross pales in comparison to that of some of its predecessors. The franchise still has the chance to recover with the release of The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

With the MCU being hit or miss in recent years, other franchises have tried to make it big. One such set of films is the John Wick franchise, which began with the 2014 Keanu Reeves-led film.

Like the MCU, John Wick has gone up and down over its decade-and-change-long tenure, but it has had some hits. John Wick: Chapter 4, for example, made over $447 million worldwide. The latest franchise film did not do as well, but it is having a VOD comeback that positions it above an MCU film.

Ballerina Is Beating Thunderbolts* On Digital

Ballerina Did Not Do Very Well In Theaters

Ballerina‘s VOD sales are positioning it above Thunderbolts*. Ballerina is a John Wick spinoff movie set in between the events of the third and fourth films. It focuses on Eve (Ana de Armas), who trains with the Ruska Roma to become an ᴀssᴀssin. The spinoff did not do well at the box office despite being a John Wick film. As per Box Office Mojo, it made just $108.7 million worldwide.

Thunderbolts* is an MCU film that draws upon characters established in Black Widow and more. Its box office totals were even lower than that of Captain America: Brave New World, making only $382 million.

As per iTunes, Ballerina is currently a top 10 seller on VOD. In fact, the John Wick film is currently the no. 1 most rented film according to the data. This comes in immediately above Thunderbolts*, and also beats out other 2025 тιтles, including Karate Kid: Legends and Final Destination: Bloodlines.

What This Means For Ballerina

The John Wick Franchise Can Breathe Easy

Ballerina‘s victory on the VOD chart is a good sign for the John Wick franchise. Even though the de Armas spinoff was not a huge box office win, the series already has other projects planned, such Donnie Yen’s Caine spinoff. Even with their loss from Ballerina‘s theatrical run, its persistence on digital proves that these movies can be successful, which is hopeful as the franchise continues.

Source: iTunes