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Lionsgate‘s first theatrical stab at spinning off the “John Wick” franchise, the Ana de Armas-led “Ballerina,” fired off $10.65 million across Friday and preview screenings from 3,409 venues.
The actioner is now pacing a touch behind projections from earlier this week, looking at a debut between $25.5 million and $27.5 million as opposed to forecasts for $28 million. 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.
On the one hand, some slowdown is expected for “Ballerina”: a property reset for the R-rated action franchise, with series star Keanu Reeves taking on a smaller supporting role this go-around. On the other, it’s a marked drop-off for “Wick,” which began with a sleeper hit in 2014 ($43 million in North America) and grew into a blockbuster tentpole by its fourth entry ($187 million and the ninth-highest-grossing domestic release of 2023). And the quiet debut also comes with “Ballerina” costing a sizable $90 million to produce — not far off of the $100 million price tag for “Chapter 4.” Unlike other studios, Lionsgate often makes the trade of limiting profitability upside by recouping some production costs via foreign sales.
Along with “Ballerina,” the studio has been keen to continue growing the “John Wick” franchise, with plans for a fifth mainline entry starring Reeves, an animated prequel and a spin-off directed by and starring “Chapter 4” standout Donnie Yen.
Reviews have been positive for the Len Wiseman-directed “Ballerina.” Audiences like it even more, with moviegoer pollster Cinema Score turning in a strong “A-” grade. Whether that good word-of-mouth can lift up the opening will pan out tomorrow.
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. The live-action remake added another $9.3 million on Friday, down 45% from its daily haul a week ago. It’s headed to a third frame north of $33 million and should hit pass a $335 million domestic gross through Sunday. On Saturday, it will crack the all-time top 100 list for North American releases.
Further down the charts, Focus Features has Wes Anderson’s “The Phoenician Scheme,” going wide to 1,678 theaters after opening in six spots in New York and Los Angeles last weekend. The well-reviewed adventure feature earned $2.55 million on Friday and is headed to a $5.8 million three-day frame. It’s enough to land in sixth, though it’s behind the $9 million that Anderson and Focus’ last feature, “Asteroid City,” earned in its expansion. General audiences are pretty mixed for “Phoenician,” with Cinema Score turning in a “B-” grade.
Third goes to “Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning,” which still has Imax auditoriums (though some other premium large format real estate has been turned over to “Ballerina.”) The Paramount and Skydance actioner earned $4 million on Friday and is eyeing $14.8 million for its third frame, down 45% from its last outing. Domestic gross is projected to hit $149 million through Sunday. That means this entry is pacing ahead of its franchise predecessor, 2023’s “Dead Reckoning” ($139 million), but behind 2018’s “Fallout” ($161 million). At a huge $400 million production cost, turning a profit theatrically remains a tough task for “The Final Reckoning.”
“Karate Kid: Legends” is in fourth, earning another $2.4 million on Friday and projecting $8.7 million for its sophomore outing. That’d be about 57% down from its opening weekend. The martial arts legacy sequel looks to chop into a $35 million domestic total through its first 10 days — hardly blockbuster numbers, though Sony’s investment wasn’t too steep at a $45 million production cost.
Fifth goes to “Final Destination: Bloodlines,” which earned another $1.9 million on Friday (down about 40% from its daily total a week ago). The Warner Bros. and New Line horror sequel is passing $120 million domestic on Saturday.
Further down, Warners’ “Sinners” is still in the top 10, passing $270 million domestic on Friday. It’s going to pass “Gravity” ($274 million) in the next few days to become the highest-grossing original film in North America in the last 15 years. That’s a huge achievement for Ryan Coogler’s R-rated vampire thriller.
Also opening this weekend, the shark thriller “Dangerous Animals” is in 1,636 venues from IFC’s horror-focused banner Shudder. The film earned $760,000 across Friday and previews and seems unlikely to crack the top 10.
English (US) ·