Looking for something to do this weekend? Then you might want to check out From the World of John Wick: Ballerina, the new movie in the John Wick franchise that opens globally on Friday. You can watch the trailer for the gritty action thriller at the top of this page.
It’s not certain, however, that it’ll win the weekend box office — at least in North America — because the sci-fi comedy Lilo & Stitch, in its third week of release, is still a strong contender.
The expert panel at Boxoffice Pro estimates From the World of John Wick: Ballerina will rake in between $32 million and $40 million domestically this weekend, while Lilo & Stitch is likely to see ticket sales of between $32 million and $36 million.
“It will be close, yet our panel thinks there’s enough goodwill from the Wick fanbase to help this one eek past Lilo & Stitch for the top spot,” Boxoffice Pro said in its analysis, adding: “But it will be a razor-thin margin, with word-of-mouth a huge factor.”
It also mentions how Keanu Reeves’ cameo as John Wick should help to fill a few more seats. “Marketing is leaning heavily on Keanu Reeves’ presence, which does add legitimacy to the enterprise, even though he reportedly shot for only eight days on the picture,” it noted.
However, one factor that could adversely impact Ballerina’s box office take is that the movie occupies 15% of showtimes in the U.S., behind Lilo & Stitch‘s 19%.
Boxoffice Pro also points out that this weekend is Lilo & Stitch‘s last chance to take advantage of its family monopoly before Universal’s How to Train Your Dragon lands in theaters next week.
Early reviews for Ballerina have been mixed, suggesting that while the movie offers strong performances and action sequences, it may not fully satisfy fans who are hoping for the depth and innovation of the original John Wick films.
