The theatrical marketplace is no longer conducive to word-of-mouth hits. A movie that doesn’t deliver the goods in its first weekend will likely be shown no mercy a couple of weeks later, when it’s chucked out of theaters and pushed onto home video platforms by studios. Universal attracted flak last year for seemingly jumping the gun with the well-reviewedThe Fall Guy, which many believed could’ve had the legs to recover had it not been released on PVOD platforms 17 days after its theatrical debut. However, the recently-released action filmFrom the World of John Wick: Ballerinaprobably didn’t have any chance of recovering theatrically before being made available to rent or purchase at home this week.
Immediately,Ballerinajumped up the viewership charts,finishing second on iTunes in the United Stateson July 1 and July 2. It finished third on Vudu, and seventh on Amazon on July 2, according toFlixPatrol. StarringAna de Armas,Ballerinahas beenone of the summer’s most disappointing performers at the box office. The movie hasmade only around $55 million domestically and $110 million worldwideafter three weeks of release. Now that it’s available at home, the movie has virtually no chance of hitting the $150 million mark worldwide. This isn’t the result that Lionsgate would’ve wanted for the first theatrical spin-off in itscrown jewel, the John Wick franchise.
Produced ona reported budget of $90 million, Lionsgate spared no cost on the movie, which reportedly ran into trouble during production when directorLen Wiseman’s cut was deemed dissatisfying.John WickhelmerChad Stahelskiwas brought in to beef up the action and increase starKeanu Reeves' presence, which was initially limited to a cameo. Reeves has played the character in four theatrical films, which have grossed over $1 billion globally. The fourth installment,John Wick: Chapter 4, emerged as the highest-grossing film of the bunch, with a total haul of nearly $450 million worldwide. It was also positioned as the final installment of the series, before Stahelski and Reeves agreed to return for a fifth film.
‘Ballerina’ Flopped Despite Positive Reviews
Ballerinaprobably won’t inspire a sequel of its own, despitemostly positive reviews. It holds a 76% score onRotten Tomatoes, whose consensus reads, “Equipping a steely Ana de Armas with creatively brutal action choreography and a pleasingly kooky origin story,Ballerinapirouettes gracefully onto the Wickverse’s centerstage.” The film’s audience score on the aggregator website is even better, at a “verified hot” 93%.
You can watchBallerinaat home, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
From the World of John Wick: Ballerina
