‘Lilo & Stitch’ Holds Onto No. 1 Spot; John Wick Spinoff ‘Ballerina’ Lands in Second Place

In a box office battle between a deadly assassin and a chaotic CGI alien, Disney’s “Lilo & Stitch” maintained its lead for a third consecutive weekend, while the John Wick spinoff “Ballerina” fell short of expectations.

Studio estimates released Sunday show that “From the World of John Wick: Ballerina” brought in $25 million across 3,409 theaters in the U.S. and Canada. Initial projections had the film opening between $35 and $40 million, but those numbers were lowered several times before release. Despite positive reviews and strong audience feedback, the film underperformed compared to forecasts. Directed by Len Wiseman, “Ballerina” centers on Ana de Armas’ character and takes place during the events of “John Wick 3,” with Keanu Reeves’ character playing a smaller role.

Experts suggest that while “Ballerina” didn’t deliver a blockbuster opening, it’s performing more like an original film rather than a typical franchise installment, which might benefit its longevity at the box office. Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore, noted that it wasn’t expected to launch as big as other major franchises like “Mission: Impossible.”

With a production budget around $90 million, largely offset by international pre-sales, “Ballerina” earned an additional $26 million from 82 countries, bringing its global debut to $51 million. Among the five films in the John Wick series, this is the second-lowest opening, surpassing only the franchise’s first film, which opened to just over $14 million in 2014 (not adjusted for inflation). Overall, the franchise has grossed over $1 billion worldwide.

Looking ahead, Dergarabedian pointed out that the R-rated “Ballerina” might see a stronger second weekend, competing against family-friendly “How to Train Your Dragon.”

Meanwhile, “Lilo & Stitch” continued its strong run, adding $32.5 million domestically for a total of $335.8 million in North America and $772.6 million globally. In just 17 days, it has already outperformed the entire domestic run of the live-action “The Little Mermaid,” which earned $298 million.

“Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” dropped to third place with $15 million, pushing its worldwide earnings to $450.4 million. “Karate Kid: Legends” took fourth with $8.7 million, while “Final Destination: Bloodlines” rounded out the top five at $6.5 million.

The Wes Anderson film “The Phoenician Scheme” expanded its release from New York and Los Angeles to 1,678 theaters nationwide. The Focus Features movie starring Benicio del Toro earned an estimated $6.3 million, landing in sixth place.

Also making the top 10 was the R-rated anime “Dan Da Dan: Evil Eye,” which pulled in $3.1 million from 1,080 theaters during its opening weekend.

Overall, the box office is up more than 26% compared to this time last year.

Here are the top 10 domestic box office performers for the weekend (Friday through Sunday):