In the box office showdown between a deadly assassin and a chaotic CG alien, “Lilo & Stitch” still had the edge. The Disney juggernaut celebrated a third weekend at the top of the charts, while the John Wick spinoff “Ballerina” did not jeté as high as expected.
According to studio estimates Sunday, “From the World of John Wick: Ballerina” earned $25 million from 3,409 theaters in the U.S. and Canada. Several weeks ago it was tracking to open in the $35 to $40 million range, but that was adjusted down several times. Ultimately, it still came in lower than forecasts. The movie, directed by Len Wiseman, makes a sideline character out of Keanu Reeves’ John Wick and focuses on Ana de Armas. It takes place during the events of “John Wick 3.”
The box office performance is a bit perplexing result considering that “Ballerina” got good critic reviews and audience exit polls. Conventional wisdom would say that word of mouth might have given it a boost over the weekend. But, recently, opening weekend isn’t the end all that it used to be. “Ballerina” could be in the game for the long haul.
“Even though its part of the John Wick franchise, it’s playing like a true original. And that’s not a bad thing,” said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. “This was not a movie that was ever going to open like a ‘Mission: Impossible’ or another huge franchise.”
The Lionsgate release, a Thunder Road Films and 87Eleven Entertainment production, had a hefty production price tag reported to be in the $90 million range. But much of that cost has already been offset by foreign pre-sales. Internationally, it earned $26 million from 82 countries, bringing its global opening to $51 million.
As the first spinoff, it’s the second lowest opening of the five-film franchise – above only the first film which opened just over $14 million in 2014, which does not account for inflation. The franchise overall has grossed more than $1 billion worldwide.
Dergarabedian added that the R-rated “Ballerina” could also be positioned for a strong second weekend, when it goes up against family-targeted “How to Train Your Dragon.”
First place once again went to “Lilo & Stitch,” which added another $32.5 million in North America, bringing its domestic total to $335.8 and global tally to $772.6 million. In just 17 days, it's already made more domestically than the live-action “The Little Mermaid” did in its entire run ($298 million).
“Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning” slid to third place with $15 million, bringing its worldwide total to $450.4 million. “Karate Kid: Legends” earned $8.7 million to take fourth place. And “Final Destination: Bloodlines" rounded out the top five with $6.5 million.
The new Wes Anderson movie “The Phoenician Scheme” expanded beyond New York and Los Angeles to 1,678 theaters nationwide. The Focus Features release starring Benicio del Toro made an estimated $6.3 million and landed in sixth place.
The R-rated anime “Dan Da Dan: Evil Eye” also made the top 10 in its first weekend. The GKIDS release made $3.1 million from 1,080 theaters.
Overall, the box office is up over 26% from this point in 2024.
Top 10 movies by domestic box office
With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:
1. “Lilo & Stitch,” $32.5 million.
2. “From the World of John Wick: Ballerina,” $25 million.
3. “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning,” $15 million.
4. “Karate Kid: Legends,” $8.7 million.
5. “Final Destination: Bloodlines,” $6.5 million.
6. “The Phoenician Scheme,” $6.3 million.
7. “Bring Her Back,” $3.5 million.
8. “Dan Da Dan: Evil Eye,” $3.1 million.
9. “Sinners,” $2.9 million.
10. “Thunderbolts,” $2.5 million.
