From the World of John Wick: Ballerinais the firstJohn Wickspinoff movie, but it isn’t the last, which sets up a scary possibility for the franchise’s future based onBallerina’s box office. TheJohn Wickfranchise is attempting to expand beyond Keanu Reeves, withThe ContinentalTV showand theBallerinamovie being the first in what Lionsgate hopes to be a successful series of spinoff projects.
Despite the spinoff being a critical success,Ballerina’s box office was a big disappointmentcompared to the previousJohn Wickmovies. The 2025 film only made $128.3 million against a budget of $90 million, meaning thatBallerinamost likely did not make its money back thanks to marketing and distribution costs.
Since the firstJohn Wickspinoff movie was a failure at the box office,Ballerinahas raised some red flags for the franchise’s future. The next spinoff film is now in jeopardy, as if it suffers a similar fate asBallerina, the upcoming movie could be in a lot of trouble.
John Wick’s Caine Spinoff Will Not Include Keanu Reeves
It’ll Have To Rely On Donnie Yen
A spinoff centered on Caine, a character who was introduced inJohn Wick: Chapter 4, is the next spinoff movie coming from the franchise. However, it has a big risk:Keanu Reeves won’t appear. Keanu Reeves' John Wick appeared throughoutBallerina, with the character being heavily featured in the film’s marketing materials.
However, the Caine spinoff movie won’t be able to rely on Keanu Reeves' starpower, with it instead having to merely rely on theJohn Wickfranchise name.Donnie Yen is a major actor, especially in the world of action movies, so he may be able to carry aJohn Wickspinoff movie on his own. However, the film won’t be cushioned by the actual John Wick.
Keanu Reeves' Caine Absence Is A Risky Move, Especially After Ballerina
Will It Succeed At The Box Office?
Ballerinawas a big box office failure, and this was even with Keanu Reeves appearing throughout the marketing. So, not having that benefit could drag the Caine movie down even further. There are all kinds of theories as to whyBallerinawas a box office disappointment, butthe Caine moviedoesn’t inherently address any of these issues, meaning that it could struggle as well.
One of the biggest theories is that general audiences just don’t care about the franchise anymore afterJohn Wick: Chapter 4. John Wick dies at the end of the film, and with this seemingly like a pretty conclusive ending to his story, it is understandable why these spinoffs don’t appeal to many viewers.
However, good word of mouth could help the Caine movie succeed.Ballerina’smarketing didn’t show how it stood out from the rest of the franchise, and the involvement of Keanu Reeves certainly didn’t help, so hopefully the Caine movie can learn from this.
